


Death's Dance

by TiBun



Series: Death's Dance [1]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Bottom Ronald, Lemon, M/M, Mystery, Origanal Characters-Minor, Romance, Ronalliam, Top Undertaker, Top William, bottom Grell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-27
Updated: 2013-08-24
Packaged: 2017-12-24 10:59:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 117,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/939177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiBun/pseuds/TiBun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Human Souls have been going hostile, attacking and tearing reapers from existence. The string of mysterious Hostile Souls have lead into London, and when Ronald Knox falls victim to one, can William save him and solve the mystery of such hostilities?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: we do not own any recognizable characters. we only explore the possibilities.
> 
> Co-written with pervyyaoifancier (DA)

****

_Cover Art by[UnknownPaws](http://unknownpaws.deviantart.com/)_

Ronald cursed under his breath as he walked into the dispatch building with the sheet from his bed wrapped around his waste, Quickly clocking in and walking as quickly as he could up to the floor that held the offices of his department. He had arrived quite early, which was rare for him, especially when he supported a hangover like he did that day. But he didn't want to chance too many of his coworkers to see him before he could confront his senior; Grell Sutcliff.

Ronald cursed again as he thought of the redhead, picking up his pace on his way to his office.

It had been a long night, but it was going to be an even longer day. William sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose to help ease away the headache between his eyes that had been annoyingly persistent. Quarterly performance reports just happened to coincide with monthly sundry expense approvals and part of the accounting staff had been temporarily transferred to another branch to assist with a surprise audit. Needless to say, the entire department was a mess and William, of course, stepped in when and where he was needed. Accounting was not typically part of his job, but he was capable of handling simple expense approvals...however, the workload was downright atrocious. Still, it had to be done and there was no reason not to. He'd spent the night in his office once again, though he didn't sleep. He'd waded through a good chunk of the expense reports assigned to him before he noticed it was dawn and he was tired. He'd already worked through the night, so he might as well continue on, and so he did. He worked past his tiredness for a few more hours.

William dearly wanted to run home quickly for a shower to wake him and try to ease his headache away, but he opted instead for a small walk and perhaps some coffee. No, definitely some coffee. He left his office and headed for the break room. As banal a task as brewing his coffee was, it was a welcome change to the constant clack of his typewriter or the scrawl of his pen. As soon as it was done, he poured himself a cup, black, and he sipped with an extremely indulgent small sigh of satisfaction.

But that sigh was cut sort at the sight of a blur of blonde, black, and white as it rushed past the door to the break room. He blinked, pursed his lips, and took another sip of coffee as he walked to the door to look out into the hall in time to catch Ronald Knox hurrying towards his own office...wearing what appeared to be a sheet.

"Knox," he said firmly and loudly enough to catch the younger reaper's attention. "What are you wearing?"

Ronald skidded to a stop, stumbling slightly as he half-tripped over the corner of his sheet, "Nothing! Well…Something, but…Don't talk so loud, Senpai." The blond said, turning to look at his boss. It had to be William to catch him before he reached the safety of his office, and perhaps a change of clothes if the conniving redhead hadn't thought to look there, "The bright lights hurt bad enough." He groaned, rubbing his temple as he slumped to the side to lean against the wall. He had been so close, two more steps and he would have been safe in his office. His grip on the sheet tightened at the thought.

One didn't have to be a genius to realize Ronald was coming in from a night of partying _again_ , and from the comment about the lights, he was undoubtedly suffering the after effects of indulging too much. William was tempted to chastise him, as he well should for coming into work in such a state of dress and physical being...but his slumped posture and tone of his voice made it apparent he felt as miserable as William did, though quite likely more. And he'd no doubt done it to himself voluntarily. It made William feel the slightest bit better about his current state.

The supervisor quirked an eyebrow and leaned against the door frame, calmly taking another sip of his coffee.

"Do I want to know _why_ you are wearing a sheet or why you are rushing about the offices long before your scheduled shift?" he asked, keeping his voice in the same firm, slightly loud tone if only to irk the younger man.

The young reaper flinched, groaning at the volume of his superior's voice that was so obviously intentionally raised to a higher volume to make a point. Of course, to anyone who hadn't been out drinking all night, William's tone would be written off as normal, but to a man with a hangover, it seemed louder than it really was.

"I'm not _wearing_ a sheet, sir; I'm hiding in a sheet. And I'm not all _that_ early…am I?"

"It's a little more than an hour before your shift begins, Knox. You do not report late, but neither do you report early. And why are you _hiding_ in a sheet?" William asked, but then shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't have time to waste on this, not when he was indulging in a rare break. "No, never mind. I honestly do not want to know. I am going to go back into the break room to finish my coffee, you are going to go into your office to do whatever it was you were hurrying to do, and so long as you are wearing something adhering to dress code next I see you, I'll overlook the hangover."

The blond reaper blinked, slightly surprised that he was being let off easy. The seemingly emotionless shinigami was never one to put up with anything that strayed from company policy. And though there were no written rules about showing up to work with a hangover, hangovers did cause problems in production levels, and therefore a reaper showing up to work with one often got overtime to make up for the morning's decreased production.

"Yes, sir…Thank you, sir." He said, turning to his office door and unlocking it, he paused, the door half open, and looked at William, "Could you….not tell anyone you saw me like this? I'd rather not have to deal with questions from the secretaries…or Grell-senpai's big mouth on the matter."

"Don't push it, Knox," William said crisply as he narrowed his eyes and turned to go back into the break room. Ronald had some nerve asking anything when William had already conceded to overlook such a serious breach in conduct. But before completely disappearing, he took another sip of coffee. "Gossip has no place in my department. As far as I can recall, all that has occurred is my coffee break. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir…" he paused, "Wait, coffee break? Senpai, don't tell me you worked all night again. You really do need to learn to take a real break, relax and have fun for a while." He stepped forward, his leg slipping out of the sheet for a split second, showing his bare leg; shaved smooth.

Why was the blonde making this harder than it needed to be? He was giving Ronald every opportunity to pretend the situation never occurred simply because he had felt the tiniest bit of camaraderie from both of them having had a rough night. But there Ron went with his infuriatingly bright, polite concern. William didn't need it or want it. He was questioning his decision to let him off now as his eye almost twitched in annoyance and he resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose again and instead closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

"Yes, Knox, a coffee-" he paused when he opened his eyes again and caught a quick glance of Ron's bare leg when he stepped forward. "-break."

William couldn't help but fix his gaze to the spot wondering if that _was_ what he'd seen. Why did it matter? It didn't. Ron continued on;

"I know it's not my place to say but…the stress can't be good for you….Uh, sorry, I'll let you finish your coffee now…" he said, quickly turning to walk into the safety of his office, the sheet tangling around his ankles as he turned, and tightening around his legs as he went to take a step into the room. He lost his balance and gasped out as he fell, letting go of the sheet to fling his arms out to catch himself, allowing the tangled sheet to fall from his waist.

The young reaper groaned, twisting his body so he could sit up on the floor, cradling his head. The secret he was trying to hide, fully reveled; His long slender legs were bare, void of even the blond hair that usually grew on them. Yet he wasn't half naked. A tight black skirt that barely covered his posterior rode up his smooth thighs as he adjusted himself into his sitting position.

The sight of incredibly bare, incredibly _long_ legs drew William's eye towards the tiny black skirt (if a scrap of fabric that size could be called a skirt) that hugged the curves of Ron's- William ripped his eyes away but the empty mug in his hand slipped and he had to catch it before it fell from his fingers. As he scrambled to catch it, his mind was racing between outrage, surprise, amusement, and indifference. He could naturally project indifference, and so he did.

"At least you're wearing _something_ ," William said calmly, but that something was a _skirt_. How ironic that the resident skirt chaser wound up wearing one himself! Blaming it on his tiredness, the corner of William's mouth twitched in a tiny grin as he walked towards the fallen reaper and offered a hand out to help him up. It wouldn't do to have him cluttering up the hallway, especially if other employees were to begin filing in.

"Did you lose a bet, Knox?"

The younger reaper scrambled to grab his sheet and cover his bare legs, and he avoided eye contact as he took William's offered hand. Once standing again, he tugged the short skirt down, sure that it was way too short and that his rear was exposed.

"I…I don't know…" he said, "I woke up and all my pants were gone, even my pajama bottoms. This…. _thing_ was left at the foot of my bed. I was hoping that the pants to my extra suit I keep in my office in case of a rough collection job are still here…" He said as he hurried into his office and opened the closet, "Shit, gone here as well…" he cursed, flopping down onto the small leather sofa he had against the wall next to his bookshelf, his legs spread wide like he normally would sit, until he realized that William could see up the inconvenient skirt and he sat up straight snapping his legs together again.

William had to admit it was mildly amusing to see Ronald so wound up over his predicament. He wasn't lying either. He might have been a very fun-loving sort of person, but William had a hard time believing that he'd do this sort of thing on purpose. He could imagine Ronald's look of bewilderment waking up naked-

Why was he thinking about _that_? No, he wasn't. Pants were the issue at hand.

He coughed and looked away when Ron sat so improperly and went back to thinking on how to fix this issue.

"I'd offer my spare suit pants, but they're currently out for cleaning. I, as a supervisor, cannot allow you to go out on assignment in this attire as the skirt is too short to meet dress code requirements. Were it 3 inches longer, I would not have an issue. If you do not wish to ask fellow co-workers for spare clothing, I can run home on my lunch break and bring you back a pair of mine to borrow until you find out what happened to your wardrobe."

There. That seemed reasonable.

"This thing would be too short if it was ten inches longer." Ronald grumbled, "How do girls stand these things?" Standing up again, he grabbed the skirt, tugging it down as if trying to make it longer, "I would greatly appreciate it, sir."

"No!" a flamboyant voice cut into the middle of their discussion and Grell skipped in, immediately hanging off William, "He lost the bet! I took his pants so he wouldn't chicken out on his punishment! He has to be Ronda Knox for the whole day!"

William was about to make a statement regarding how women dealt with skirts with practice, but forgot what he was going to say when Ron stood up again, showing off his incredibly long legs again. Instead he nodded and his headache, which had disappeared somewhere between getting his coffee and the present, came back full force at the sound of Grell's voice. He looked down at the redhead hanging on his arm with his typical unamused expression.

"Ronda?" he said cooly. "I do not want to know the reason behind this 'bet' as it is irrelevant. Sutcliff, when you made his only option such a short skirt you had taken into consideration that Ronald would not be permitted to go out on assignment, did you not? Therefore, in essence, you volunteered to cover his assignments for the day. Am I correct?"

"I knew you were behind this, Senpai…" Ronald grumbled, "Please return my clothes."

"Grell ignored Ronald and pouted at William, pawing at his shoulder, "But Will! It's not my fault he lost the bet! Why do I have to be punished?" he wiggled his hips and slinked around the stern shinigami, "It's just this one day! And besides, it looks cute on him! Just look at those legs! They need to be shown off! I'm almost jealous of them."

Ronald folded his arms, a pang of annoyance hitting him as he watched the redhead hang off William.

"Yes, and the whole department will be aware of his legs, which is a distraction I cannot afford. Not right now," William said sternly.

"And it's not so much punishment as it is necessary. Unless the bet was placed forth with him entirely aware that _that_ specific skirt would be the one he was to wear, then yes, it is _your_ responsibility to cover his assignments, Sutcliff. Of course, if you do not want to, then give him a pair of pants or a skirt that meets dress code."

"Does that mean I can start wearing skirts to work, William-darling?" Grell giggled flirtatiously.

"Don't ignore the real issue, here!" Ronald grumbled, "Do I get my pants back?"

Grell looked at Ronald, "That's my only skirt that would fit you. You are stuck with it. I'll take your field work today." He looked back at William, "Maybe it'll give me overtime to spend with you, darling~"

William sighed and gave in to pinching the bridge of his nose and had to resist rolling his eyes at the redhead.

"Does no one read the memos? Ever since Angus Robertson won his appeal, employee dress code has made allowances for male employees to wear kilts and/or skirts so long as they follow the existing parameters set forth for female employees' skirts. So, yes, Sutcliff, wear skirts if you like.

"As for you, Knox, since I cannot have you walking about in that scrap of cloth, you are going to remain within the office and assist me with expense report calculations and paperwork."

"Gods! I never thought I would be so happy to get stuck with paperwork…" Ronald breathed, walking over to his desk and leaning against it, crossing his ankles to try and help prevent the skirt from riding up.

Grell gave an excited squee, "Ah~! I must go change!" he skipped out of the office happily, knowing full well that he was giving up his chance to be at work on time for once just to change out of his tight black dress pants and into a tight skirt.

William gave the redhead a severe glare as he left but knew it would be ignored. He'd actually hoped Grell would never find out about the change in policy and he'd 'forgotten' to give him a copy of the memo, but bringing it up now would get him to leave. The flamboyant reaper's behavior had irritated him more than usual, and William told himself he was just more aware of it due to his tiredness, not because he was bothered by the way Ronald looked when he pleaded for his clothes back, and certainly not because he did not like the way Grell looked Ron up and down. Not at all.

"Knox, gather your things, you are to work in my office until I can provide you with appropriate attire," William said as he started to walk out of his office. "I'd suggest you hurry before more people start clocking in."

With that, William left. His reason for making Ron work in his office along side him had everything to do with convenience and propriety. If Ron stayed in his own office, Grell could formulate ways to get him to leave or send others in to ridicule him. If that happened, then the breach in dress code would be discovered and William's authority as a supervisor would be compromised. If Ron worked in William's office, Grell wouldn't dare such tactics. Not to mention, William had a private washroom, so the young reaper would not need to venture out into the halls if such a need arose. William was protecting himself by doing so, that was all.

He stopped by the break room to refill his coffee before returning to his office and diving back into the paperwork again full force.

"Yes, sir." Ronald said, turning to his desk and starting to gather folders and stacks of paper that he would need. He paused, looking at the sheet still on the floor of his office. His arms were too full for him to be able to hold it up around himself, and he knew from earlier that tying it around himself did not work as well as he liked.

He sighed and kicked it into the corner of his office before peeking out into the halls. Seeing no one, he stepped out and used his foot to swing his office door closed before streaking down the hall to William's office before anyone had a chance to show up and see him in such embarrassing attire. Again, he used his foot to close the office door once he was inside, "Where should I work, sir?" he asked, looking at the man who was already hard at work at his desk.

William looked up at Ron with a raised eyebrow and was about to gesture to the empty seat he'd placed across the desk, but paused for a moment. He must be more tired than he thought. If Ron took that seat, then anyone coming in would easily see his bare legs. If William took the other seat, then at least his body would block the view under the desk. He wasn't looking forward to knocking knees with the blonde, but they would have to make do.

With a small sigh, he unceremoniously shoved his pile of paperwork opposite himself.

"Here," he said crisply as he stood and offered his chair. Without waiting for a response, he moved around the desk, sat in the empty chair, pulled himself up to the desk, gave a short explanation of what was required, and went straight back to work.

Ronald nodded and moved around to William's chair, sitting down in it and setting down the stack of papers on the desk. As he adjusted the chair to a comfortable distance from the desk, his leg brushed up against William's, "Sorry." He said, turning the chair at a slight angle so that his legs went out to the side of his superior's rather than having them constantly knocking their knees together. He grabbed a pen and started to get to work, an awkward silence falling between them, broken only by the sound of a ticking clock. Ronald didn't know why the air in the room seemed so thick, he had worked in the same room with people before as a student, then when he was fresh out of the Shinigami academy, and this situation was no different…other than the fact that he felt practically half naked.

William barely acknowledged Ronald's knees accidentally running into his own. With the situation handled for the time being, he became so focused on his work that he might as well have forgotten Ron was even there. He worked quickly and efficiently, filling out forms with ease and carried on for a while.

In an attempt to balance a stack of flies, he accidentally knocked a spare pen to the ground and watched it roll under the desk, gently coming to a stop as it hit Ronald's white shoe. Thinking nothing of it, he immediately ducked under the desk to retrieve it and startled himself when his vision was suddenly filled with a generous length of pale thigh. In his surprise, he tried to move away quickly and wound up smacking his head on the desk, which jarred his glasses off his face. Cursing under his breath, he tried to back out and knocked into the chair which in turn caused him to fall forward, his hands flailing out to grasp for balance. His hands landed on Ron's thighs and William only had a moment to realize how smooth and soft they were before he blushed furiously and scrambled out from under the desk.

After a while, Ronald was able to ignore how awkward he felt, concentrating on the repetitive job at hand. He rested his cheek on his knuckles as he scratched out the appropriate words onto each line of the papers he was currently working on, his mind half-wandering off and thinking about whether or not he should go to the pub after his shift that day. He hadn't noticed when a pen rolled off the table and onto the floor, nor did he realize that William had ducked under the desk to get an unexpected eye-full of Ronald's legs. However, when the desk suddenly shifted upwards, sending the stacks of papers toppling over and the sound of a wooden chair falling over coincided with the feel of a warm hand grabbing a hold of his bare leg, he jerked out of his thoughts. With a startled squeak, the younger reaper jumped in his seat, standing up quickly, his chair rolling back towards the window behind him.

Once he was on his feet, he was able to calm down and look around., spotting his boss on the floor without his glasses. He didn't know what had happened, but he could assume that perhaps the workaholic had dropped something and when he had bent down to pick it up, he smacked his head on the underside of the desk, which probably explained the missing glasses. Ronald had seen the man loose his glasses before, so it made sense that the man had probably freaked out again about his glasses.

Ronald sighed and walked around the desk and bent over to pick up the pair of rectangular frames, "Here." He handed the glasses over to him and held his hand out to help him up.

"I sincerely apologize, Ronald, I did not-" he paused and squinted up at Ronald's form and recognized the vague shape of his glasses being offered to him. He took them, quickly slipped them on, and took the offered hand as well. His face was still bright red as he attempted to fix his mussed hair and moved to right the chair again. Then, he took a deep breath to calm himself and turned to Ronald.

"I apologize for-" he paused, unsure how to phrase it. "...touching...you. It was not my intent," he said quickly and a little awkwardly. "And thank you for finding my glasses."

He was mortified with his behavior, uncomfortable with his own embarrassing reaction, and simply couldn't wait for a response from Ronald. He stepped around the blonde, carefully keeping his line of sight away from Ron's lower half, and busied himself with picking up the fallen papers.

"I figured it wasn't intentional…" Ronald said, unaware of the slight blush staining his own cheeks. He approached the desk and also began to separate the papers and restack them in their proper piles, "Though, you are lucky you didn't break your glasses in all that…" he trailed off, the man was obviously embarrassed enough; his face was red after all. He probably didn't want more attention being drawn to his strange reaction to hitting his head and loosing his glasses. Even if it was just the two of them in the room.

"I wasn't worried about the glasses-" he paused with a frown. That wasn't what he had meant to say, so he tried again. "They were not my main-" No, that wasn't it either. "Did you shave your legs?" Ok, that _really_ was not what he'd meant to say. He could feel his ears going red. Why the hell was he so flustered over getting a closer glimpse Ron's legs and accidentally touching them?

"Never mind! No! Just- Just get back to work," William snapped as he tried his best to keep his composure as he sat heavily back into his chair and concentrated hard on the paperwork before him. He was not going to say anything...his lunch break was only an hour away. He could manage to refrain from making a complete ass of himself again.

"I-" Ronald froze, not knowing what to do or say. Did his boss really just ask him that question? "Senpai-" no, it was probably best to drop the matter, "Excuse me." He turned and tried not to run into the washroom, closing the door behind him and leaning against it. He sighed and caught a glimpse of himself in the small mirror above the sink, "Bloody Hell, Knox, pull yourself together, will you?" he said to himself when he saw how red his face was. He splashed cold water onto his face to shock it back to a closer-to-normal color and dried his face before taking a deep breath and walking back out to continue to work on paperwork.

The ticking of the clock was driving William mad. Less than 10 minutes had passed and he was getting antsy to leave. He felt completely off-kilter, and all because of that damn _skirt_. Once the blasted thing was gone, he wouldn't be so nearly as preoccupied with thoughts of Knox... Who was probably more horrified than William was with what he'd done and said.

No one would _ever_ want to be touched (even if it was accidentally) and then asked such a thing (even if it was a lapse of sanity) by their boss. Especially if one did not have inclinations towards men. It wasn't any of William's business, but with the way Ronald flirted with the office ladies, it seemed rather obvious he did not have such inclinations.

Embarrassment still driving him, William stood and grabbed his gloves, preparing to leave early in order to get Ronald proper attire quicker. He was about to go knock on the washroom door to let Ronald know what was going on, but he came out at that exact moment. William looked at him with his typical neutral expression, pointedly keeping his eyes shoulder level and higher.

"I am taking my lunch early," William said crisply, his blush gone and his voice completely level. "I'll be back shortly with a change of clothing for you, at which time, you may take your lunch. Please continue with the expense reports and you are allowed to lock the door after I leave should you so wish."

Ronald froze in the doorway, his blush returning slightly. The last thing he expected was to see William at the door when he opened it. It took him a moment to register what he had been told, and he nodded, "Yes…Thank you, Senpai." He said, still a little stunned before walking over to the desk, eagerly busying himself to avoid saying something awkward.

It was strange, He had always looked up to the older shinigami. True, the man needed to loosen up and enjoy himself a little more often, but he knew how to get his work done. And he was always so calm and collected, even when someone—Usually Grell—was causing trouble or breaking rules. Ronald couldn't help but admire how William was able to handle any situation thrown at him. And they had worked together before. On those instances, though the blond did make mistakes and was careless at times, they had worked together well, nothing out of the ordinary, no strange thoughts, awkward moments, or flustered reactions desperately trying to be hidden…so why now did it seem the opposite? He had even hidden in the washroom for what? Ten minutes? Fifteen? And now William was taking an early lunch? That was so unlike him. It had to be the skirt. It was the only thing different about this situation. Maybe William was disturbed by it. Or found it offensive.

Ronald frowned, the situation was out of his control, but he did not like the idea of his being the reason that things were suddenly so off balance between them. He would have to make it up to him somehow… but how? He doubted the man would accept an invitation to the pub.

The young reaper froze, his pen in hand, half-way through scratching an 'S', his pen leaking a bead of ink, Why did the idea of William T. Spears turning down such a innocent invite hurt? One; they were not exactly friends to begin with, and two; he's had plenty of Ladies turn him down for more than that; actual dates. It didn't make any sense. He shook his head and tried to fix the now messy 'S' as best he could before finishing the paper and grabbing another to start. He decided he would ask anyway when William returned. If for nothing else, to prove to himself that he was just over-thinking things and that when he was turned down he could just go out and ask that new secretary in the accounting department if she would like to go out that night with him.

William quickly clocked out and hurried home. He was almost instantly composed again once he was out of Ronald's presence and he was extremely grateful for that. It troubled him that he was so bothered by everything...He knew he was a little more irritable than normal due to having not slept yet, but that didn't explain the awkward behavior.

Ronald was a co-worker, a junior nonetheless, and William normally took no issue with him whatsoever. Every once in a while he would betray his competence by making a rookie mistake, like charging headlong into a situation before assessing it properly, but that was because he was still gaining experience. It was understandable and excusable. William did not even mind his fun-loving lifestyle as it rarely interfered with work. Today was the first time it had even been a problem, and even then it was not really Ron's fault.

Things were awkward because, ironically, the skirt had made William aware of Ronald as a man rather than just a co-worker. Even he could admit that the young reaper had a pleasant face and a nice smile, but that was a purely aesthetic appreciation. Somehow, seeing him in such a scanty skirt drove William's mind past aesthetic to somewhere his mind should never wander when thinking about a subordinate. And it made him feel terrible. Well, he certainly couldn't have that. He would apologize to Ron, let him change, and everything would be back to normal.

Deciding that he would not let it affect him any longer, William gathered a fresh suit from his closet and headed back to the office feeling much better about the situation. It would be resolved entirely once he returned and he wouldn't let himself get flustered again.

Upon arriving back, he went straight into his office and offered the suit to Ron.

"I wish to offer apologies for my earlier behavior," he said crisply as he held out the suit. "I honestly do not know what came over me and I apologize if I have made you uncomfortable."

Ronald took the suit eagerly, "Yes! Pants! Glorious comfortable coverage! Thanks Senpai!" Ronald ducked into the washroom quickly, eagerly changing his clothes, rolling up the pant legs and pulling his belt tight to keep the slightly too big pants up. Before walking back out into William's office, putting the skirt down on the edge of William's desk.

William had blinked at the speed with which Ron took the suit. His eagerness almost made him crack a smile. Almost. Instead, he simply shook his head before going back to the desk to continue his work.

"Don't worry about earlier. It's not like I'm a girl. It was awkward, but no big deal." He flashed a smile, moving the papers he had been filling out into a neat pile, "But thanks for lending me some pants. Uh…" he rubbed the back of his neck, wondering why he was suddenly so nervous, "How about I buy you a drink—you know, if you want to." He pretended to be interested in an expense report.

William didn't even look up when the blonde walked out, but raised an eyebrow at Ron's dismissal of the situation.

' _I am very aware you are not a girl.'_ He thought to himself.

And to William, gender didn't factor into it. One did not accidentally grope another person and blurt out an inappropriate question without apologizing...he turned to say as much, but Ron smiled for the first time that day and he sort of lost his train of thought. He pulled his gaze away before it would be considered staring and started writing again, but there was the slightest hitch in the scratch of his pen when he heard Ron's offer.

It was a kind thing, probably out of politeness, but William didn't require thanks...He opened his mouth to give a polite refusal, but what came out was; "When?"

He blinked as he caught himself. And now he had to try to rectify the situation. He'd meant to say 'no', but now it would just be rude to take it back.

"What I mean is, unless I get these reports finished, I can't today," he covered smoothly.

Ronald blinked in surprise, looking at his superior, he hadn't turned down the invitation? His heart sped up, "Well, you know, if you can…" he said, trying to sound indifferent about it. He placed his hand on his stack of papers, "I have quite a bit of paperwork to finish today too."

"I will do my best to finish these before the end of the work day," William said calmly. "To save on overtime, you see," he quickly added as he returned to the task at hand.

He really shouldn't go out for a drink on a work night...especially after having not gotten any sleep yet. But, he simply couldn't turn Ronald down...he had the strangest desire to see if he could make the blonde smile again. No. No, this was not something to think about. There was work that really needed to get done.

"As you are in proper attire, you no longer need to remain in my office. You may return to your own if you wish," William said, working industriously. "And you may take your lunch break."

Ronald nodded and gathered his papers, "I'll see you after work…maybe." He said with a small smile before walking out to drop his things off in his own office before taking his lunch break. The skirt forgotten on William's desk.

William merely gave Ron a nod as he left and went back to focusing on the reports. He was about 4/5ths of the way through...he might finish in time. He worked through the afternoon, pausing only to buy something from the lunch trolley as it passed his office. He hated doing so, but considering he'd only gone home once since 8AM the previous day, and that was just to grab the suit for Ron, he hadn't had time to make his own meal...and he hadn't eaten since lunch the day before. It wasn't that the food was bad, it was just fact that he could make the same thing better and not pay a ridiculous amount for it.

With a sigh he bit into his sandwich and was about to pull over another stack of papers when he noticed the skirt sitting on the corner of his desk. Why was it there? He stood up and grabbed it wondering what the hell he was supposed to do with it. It would be very strange to give it back to Ron, but if he gave it back to Sutcliff he'd have to endure a near endless stream of implications. And why had that maniac chosen this skirt? He was sure the redhead owned a plethora of the damn things. Why did he have to pick one that would be so tight and short on Ronald? It practically left nothing to the imaginat-

He glared at the skirt for a moment as if scolding it for sullying his thoughts and unceremoniously shoved it in a drawer of his desk. He'd just throw it in Sutcliff's office before he came in to work the next day.

Again, he went back to the reports and lost track of time. By the time he placed the final report in the outgoing tray, he looked up at the clock and saw it was nearly 7 o' clock...nearly two hours past the end of the workday. Well, that was unfortunate and would explain why everything was so quiet. He doubted Ronald had stuck around and probably just ducked out as soon as he could. It didn't trouble William any. He couldn't blame the young man if he had. But William was starting to feel exhaustion creeping up on him. It was best that he go straight home anyway and catch up on lost sleep, but the journey home was feeling more and more tiring the more he thought about it. He could afford a little catnap, couldn't he? With a small yawn he set an alarm for 10 minutes on his pocket watch, removed his glasses, laid his head in his arms on his desk, and fell into a light doze.

* * *

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Ronald was well aware of how late it was getting, ten o'clock and he was still filling out paperwork. He glared down at the paper as if the stack had a mind of it's own and were magically adding more and more pages. At this rate, the pubs would all be closed for the night by the time he ended the relentless stack of papers…Not that it mattered much, as William probably already had gone home for the night. He had worked all through the night before, so he couldn't blame the man for wanting to go home and have a date with his pillow rather than—no, no he hadn't asked his boss out on a date. It was just one dispatch officer buying a drink for his boss…that was it. Though it would have been nice to get a notice from the man about canceling…a note at least.

"Stupid Overtime…" he muttered as he scratched his signature onto a paper and put it in the out box on his desk. He looked at what was left to do. There wasn't much, he could finish it up in the morning. The idea was too tempting and he stood up, stretching before grabbing his suit jacket and pulling it on as he stepped out of his office and started down the hall, pausing when he saw light coming out from under William's office door.

Had the man not left yet? Curiously, Ronald gave a firm knock on the door.

The sound of a knock jarred William from his nap rather unexpectedly. His arms had slipped from beneath his head and his cheek was pressed firmly against the desk top. Apparently he'd fallen asleep much harder than anticipated. Who was still here? Well, it didn't really matter, he couldn't get caught sleeping on the job.

He quickly sat up, donned his glasses , smoothed his hair to maintain his professional image.

"Come in," he answered, rather pleased with himself that he hadn't sounded the slightest bit as dazed as he felt.

Clasping his hands in front of him in a very professional manner, he gave a glance down to his desk and did a quick double take. Apparently a report had gotten shoved under his blotter and during the course of his nap, he must have accidentally pushed said blotter forward to reveal the report. The only problem was the patch of moisture slowly sinking into the paper and spreading, as well as the ink of said patch looking smeared. His face had just been right there...meaning...he'd drooled.

Damn it.

He frantically wiped at his mouth as the door opened and Ronald stepped inside the office, "Senpai, I was just—" he stopped, raising a hand to point at his cheek, "…ink"

William resorted to covering half his face with his hand, which dipped slightly when he finally saw his visitor.

"Rona- Knox," he corrected himself and went back to wiping at his face. "Yes, I know. Wait- Ink?"

His eyebrow twitched slightly as he pushed himself back from his desk and looked at his fingers which were stained blue.

"Pardon me," he said a coolly as possible then all but ran to the washroom to look at himself in the mirror. He indeed had a sizable smear of ink across his cheek. He quickly lathered up his hands and scrubbed at it as best he could. He had been exceedingly clumsy today…first nearly dropping his coffee mug, then the desk incident, and now this? And why was it always around Knox? It was the lack of sleep that was causing it, and Ron was just coincidental. That had to be it. Once satisfied that the ink was gone, he sighed and patted his face dry with a towel before stepping out, though his right cheek was an angry red from all the scrubbing.

"Knox," he said coolly, trying to retain a facade of calm. "Thank you for pointing that out. The ink, I mean. But I thought you had already left for the day."

"Trust me, I would have loved to get out of work on time. But I swear my pile of paperwork was growing… I had assumed you went home….After all, you haven't gone home since—No offence, Senpai, but you work _way_ too much"

He wasn't quite sure why, but the fact that Ronald hadn't left yet made him feel both relieved and slightly anxious. Neither feelings were things he experienced often, so he fell back to his normal attitude of distanced calm.

"I work as necessary. It just so happens that more often than not it is necessary I work to ensure operations run smoothly. From the quiet, I had assumed everyone had left already and so I-"

Why would he tell Knox he was sleeping on the job? He should not and he would not.

"I was getting ready to leave myself," he finished as he went to retrieve his gloves.

"Were you still up for that drink?" he asked seemingly calm as his voice remained level but had he not been putting forth extreme effort to do so, he was sure he'd have stuttered. It really wasn't that odd a thing, having a drink with a coworker, but he was anxious about it. Perhaps a couple of scotches would settle his nerves.

"You still want to go out despite the late hour?"

Ronald was about to ask if the man had fallen asleep. The ink stain on his face that coincided with the ink smudge on one of the papers on his desk supported the theory, but he was thrown off by the sudden change of subject. He dropped his inquiry and smiled, "Hey, I did say I'd treat you, didn't I? Come on, there's a small classy pub in London I think you'd be comfortable in. Not too loud or wild."

"If it's in thanks for bringing you something to wear, I don't need it," William said crisply as he grabbed his keys and wallet from his desk. "But if it is because I look like I am badly in need of a scotch, which you would be entirely correct in assuming so, then lead the way."

"Can't it be for both?" Ronald asked, stepping into the hall, "Because though you do look like you could use a drink…and a nice relaxing time away from work, and you were a life saver when you leant me these pants." He sighed and looked up at the lights that were dimmed for the night to save energy, his fingers laced as he rested his hands on the back of his head, "I really don't know what Grell-senpai's obsession with putting me in dresses is about…" he froze mid-step, he hadn't meant to say that. He always kept it a secret that the redhead always found ways to get him in a dress and sometimes makeup.

William closed the door to his office and moved to lock it, and turned around slowly to look at Ron.

"Sutcliff has done this to you more than once?"

Ronald's face turned red and he put his hands up defensively, "N-no! Of course not!" he tried to deny, but his higher pitched voice reveled the lie and he looked away, "…not…in public at least…and this was by far the worst…at least the others covered things…"

William found something in him rather liked seeing Ron's face so red and he found himself almost cracking a smile again.

"I assume it is because of the way you react, Knox, as you are not very feminine. But that is beside the point. If you know he has a penchant for such things, then why would you put yourself in a situation where it could happen again?"

"I don't. I only made that mistake once back when he was first assigned as my senior when I graduated the Academy. He said we should get to know each other better…next thing I knew I was in a white dress that looked like it was made for a twelve year old girl! After that he just…always seems to show up when I've had a little too much to drink…" why was he telling him all this? For the life of him, Ronald couldn't figure out why he was sharing such embarrassing stories. And he hadn't even had a drink yet.

"Speaking of drinking, shall we move on to the pub?" William asked, leading the way through the office building.

Admittedly he was intrigued that Ronald was sharing so much information, and that he seemed to get into skirts when he was drunk, but that was not going to happen tonight. William had no intention of losing his sensibilities, and if Knox did, well, that was _his_ problem.

"I still assume it is because of your reaction to it. Perhaps if you pretended to like it or learned to get comfortable with it he'd leave you be. Or are you just easily manipulated when inebriated?"

"Yeah, if I say I don't mind it, he'll do it more often." He said, avoiding the question. He honestly didn't know the answer to it. He didn't think he was, but on the times he had woken up in a dress, he couldn't even remember the night before. So perhaps he was if he got too drunk to remember.

They reached the streets of mortal London and Ronald turned to the left, "The pub's this way, it's not far."

William instantly felt better once they reached London. He didn't hate his job, but as he told Ronald, he worked as it was necessary. Unfortunately, "necessary" seemed to be nearly all the bloody time. He'd been in the office too long and the air, while far from clean or pure, at least it had some movement and vitality to it. Getting away from the offices, knowing he wouldn't have to deal with anything made something loosen and pop in his neck.

"He will eventually grow bored of it, I'm sure," William said as he followed Ron. "And Sutcliff might be on to something. It's not like you looked entirely bad in that skirt, Ronda."

Ronald felt his face grow red again, it always annoyed him when Grell called him by that name, but for some reason, he didn't mind as much when William did. Maybe it was just because he was shocked that the cold emotionless shinigami was able to actually make joking comments. "Wh-when have you ever seen Senpai grow tired of anything…or give up for that matter? Just how many years has be been trying to get you in his bed?"

William raised an eyebrow at that wondering if Ron was attempting to shift the focus.

"Sutcliff may bother you for a few years with this particular fetish, but he will eventually move on to something else. Perhaps corsets or costumes, at which point you will likely long for the days when it was just skirts and dresses," William said coolly, but couldn't stop the devious little twitch of his lips thinking about that. If Ron was so flustered over simple women's clothing, how would he react to waking up in something far stranger?

"As for his tenacity regarding myself, it is because he has been so persistent that I refuse," William said matter-of-factly.

And that was very true. At first, William was simply annoyed with the redhead and his stupid flirting, but when it did not stop after over half a century, he realized there was probably some real feeling behind it. Had Grell simply wanted a roll about, Will would have just given in and been done with it. But he couldn't now. He took no quarrel with casual flings, but he would not sleep with someone who held feelings for him if he couldn't reciprocate. He was practical, not cruel. And though he had clearly told Grell he did not want a romantic relationship with him, repeatedly nonetheless, the redhead seemed to ignore it. It wasn't his problem anymore.

What he'd said would suffice. If Ronald wanted to know more, he could ask, but he'd leave it there and let him interpret it as he wished. As they reached their destination, Ron pointing out the pub, William took a couple quick steps forward and pulled open the door.

"After you," he said as he held it for Ron. "Madam," he added quietly so that it would only reach the blond's ears, the tiniest lilt of amusement in his tone.

Ronald almost stopped walking at William's words about Grell; not about the corsets, he had figured that if the redhead continued to make Ronald his personal doll to be dressed up however he wished him to be dressed, that it would grow into such things. No, what almost made him stop was that William had admitted that his refusal for being with Grell was simply because Grell was so relentless towards the man. Did that mean that the algid emotionless man actually did have feelings for Grell, and should Grell actually grow up and pursue William like a normal person would, that William would finally give in to his own feelings?

The blond gave a small cough to clear his throat which, for some reason, had become tight. It's not like it was any of his business; the relationship between the two older reapers, it really wasn't. Grell was his superior, and his partner most of the time when he went out on larger collection jobs, and William…William was his boss. They weren't even friends. This was the first time they had gone out together outside of work; and it was only for just one quick drink as coworkers. Besides, there was no way he could be jealous. He had promised himself he wouldn't make the same mistakes again, He didn't do relationships anymore. He was just the office flirt, he took secretaries and receptionists out every so often to let them feel special if they had no one. And he most certainly did not let himself become interested in men…not anymore.

' _Shit, Knox, what the hell has gotten into you today?'_ he mentally slapped himself as William opened the door to the pub for him.

"I'm never going to live this morning down, am I?" he asked, stepping past William and into the warmly lit pub. Normally, he would head straight to the bar to order a drink and take a look around to find what ladies were single, but he was with someone this time; and even if it wasn't a date by any means, he was not a rude man. He walked over to an empty table and sat down.

"I might forget eventually, save for the moment I will conveniently be able to recall it should I need leverage of some kind," William answered, unable to hide his minute grin any longer as he followed Ron inside.

It was strange how easy it was to banter with the younger man. Usually it took much longer for William to warm up to others...especially co-workers. It was much harder for him to befriend co-workers because of the attitude and personality he maintained on the job. They simply could not see past it. And though he was greatly defined by his career, it wasn't _everything_. When he felt the need to socialize, he normally sought out strangers who had no preconceived notions of him. Being his own worst critic, he knew he was still a serious business hardass, but at least he didn't get weird stares when he did crack a smile or a joke. Not to mention, he didn't really want to be liked at work. If he maintained a certain distance from everyone, he wouldn't be asked to do favors or have his allegiances questioned.

But Ron put him at ease somehow. The young reaper had always seemed rather neutral towards William, only getting justifiably irked when assigned overtime or given excessive paperwork. William was used to that sort of dislike. It wasn't personal. But, the events of the day somehow made him feel closer to him. It wasn't like they were suddenly best friends, but Ron had seen William act like a complete idiot several times today and had simply taken it all in stride. He appreciated that quite a bit. The least he could do was offer equal friendliness in his own awkward way.

He removed his gloves and shoved them into his jacket before removing it and setting it on the back of the chair across the table from Ron.

"This is a fine place," he commented looking around before turning his attention back to the blond. "As you were the one to offer, I think I'll let you choose what I am to drink."

"Are you testing me?" Ronald couldn't help but grin, "Really, Senpai, I don't care what you order. I don't know what you like, so it's hardly fair to have me order for you. But, I normally start out with Scotch, and I believe you mentioned scotch before, so… shall I order two when the waitress comes over?"

William settled more into his seat, his expression neutral bordering on relaxed. He naturally wanted to return Ron's grin, and settled on a slight upturn of his lips.

"Not a test. I was simply curious to see if we had similar tastes, and it seems we do. Please do," he answered with nod.

Now was the awkward part. How did he strike up a conversation with a co-worker without bringing up work?

"Is this what you do with your evenings? Frequent pubs?" William asked as they waited for a waitress to come by.

"Pretty much. Sometimes with coworkers, sometimes with a Secritary or two, other times, by myself." He shrugged, "Usually with Eric-senpai though, and usually at more low-end pubs. They have better music for dancing." Ronald replied as a waitress finally approached their table, asking what she could get for them. Ronald held up two fingers, flashing her one of his flirtatious smiles, "Scotch please, both on me." He said with a wink.

The waitress giggled, "Coming right up." She said, turning to leave.

William watched the interaction between Ron and the waitress, totally unaffected as that was how he treated every woman he came across. It was nothing new, but it made him wonder a bit if he was intruding on Ron's routine.

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness in choosing a calm place, but I am not opposed to 'low-end' pubs," he said as he clasped his hands in front of him. "I know I do not appear to be the type, but I do enjoy dancing once in a while."

"You dance? Really? I mean, I can see you knowing how to Ballroom dance, something classy like that, but…actual dancing? I may have to see it to believe it." Ronald smirked, risking a playful jab.

"I suppose that depends on your definition of 'actual dancing'," William said casually, giving the waitress a polite thank you when she dropped off their drinks. "I believe it is essential that one learns to dance formally as it aids with coordination, precision, timing, and concentration. But, less formal dancing is enjoyable."

He took a sip of his drink and took a moment to enjoy the slight burn.

"I am afraid that unless I have a few more drinks, I am not quite up to proving that the uptight William T. Spears can dance."

"Well, I'm always up for a few more drinks. We could always move to the pub just down the street after this. I must admit I'm dying to see you let go a bit and have fun." He leaned back in his seat and tipped his glass against his lips, "But I am afraid I just don't see how formal dance can be much fun. Sure, I know how, but it was never much fun when I had to do it."

"It might be more interesting than normal considering the lack of sleep on my part," William said wryly as he took another drink. "But, I suppose it could be...refreshing. Let's do it."

Drinking and dancing on a work night. What was he thinking? He'd regret it in the morning, but he somehow knew he'd regret it more if he didn't. He put his drink down to give Ron a curious look.

"And I never would have pegged you for the formal dancing sort. I took on learning for my own sake...mostly. What prompted you to learn, or, more appropriately, why did you have to?"

"Father insisted." Ronald said before downing half his drink and setting it down. He rarely spoke of his human life before he became a reaper, but there was no other way to answer that particular question, "We weren't a noble family, but we were rich and did have to attend balls that the nobles hosted. My father had hoped I would court the daughter of one of the nobles and up our family status through marriage. Didn't quite work out, obviously."

Well that was definitely a surprise. He assumed Ronald would say it was at the insistence of a girlfriend or his mother or something of the sort, but he never expected it would be something he was all too familiar with. It was a set of complicated circumstances in William's case, but in the end he knew what it felt like to be trained to be used in such a way. He wasn't sure if he wanted to share very much information about himself...not to mention he wasn't sure if Ron even wanted to know, but he could offer understanding.

"You and I have far more in common than I realized," William said softly. "It's sickening how often patriarchs see their progeny as goods to trade in order maintain the family line. But if you hadn't been forced to learn for such reasons, I think you would have enjoyed it more. I was fortunate in that respect, but I understand how that might make the notion of formal dancing unpleasant."

"Formal _anything_." He nodded, "Dancing, dinner parties…Hell, even that school Father sent me off to. I hated it all…" he shifted in his seat and looked at William, "But you probably don't want to hear all that anyway…" he sighed and leaned on the table, resting his chin on his palm as he mindlessly swirled the contents of his glass, "So what do you normally do after work hours? You know, when you don't just stay at work."

Ron's words broke William out of a reverie he wasn't even aware he had been in. He'd been intrigued and found he _did_ want to know, but the young reaper's words made him all too aware that they were not friends. A friend would naturally elaborate...but William knew he wasn't helping the situation, either, by being so guarded himself. It was a strange thing to associate "friend" with Ron when he'd done nothing to initiate a friendship. He should just leave him to his privacy...

But the alcohol made his belly warm and his mind feel slightly less uptight. The company was pleasant and was unfortunately as guarded as he was. Part of him wanted to fix that. The part being set free by the combination of alcohol and tiredness, perhaps, but he wanted to listen to it anyway. He might get a strange look for it, but it couldn't hurt to go out on a limb. Or it could end in awkward disaster as these situations often did when it came to William.

"Actually, I would like to hear it," William said softly, his cheeks going slightly pink. Then he straightened up and cleared his throat. "But if you are not comfortable talking with me about it, I understand."

There. He'd been honest. Ronald could take it or leave it, but at least he'd said something to show he was interested in Ron as a person... as a friend might. He as he took a healthy swig of his drink, nearly emptying the glass and set it down.

"In my free time, when I have it, I sometimes go out by myself. More often than not, I stay home, though, and tend to my flat since I do not have time to otherwise. Cleaning, cooking, all of the day-to-day necessities. But when I'm not doing chores or going out, I read and take care of Mary-"

He stopped himself there, going slightly redder in the face as he waffled between explaining or just leaving it there, and decided the best course of action was to polish off his glass.

Ronald couldn't believe that William of all people wanted to hear more of his human life, not even his friends cared to even bring up such subjects. To them; the only things that mattered is anything interesting that happened to them after they died and woke up a reaper…and no one at the office ever talked about their human lives. Yet William T. Spears; the office work-a-holic with the all work and no play attitude was interested in hearing about his past. The thought of it was so intriguing and confusing, the younger reaper hardly heard William respond to the question he had been asked, until; "Mary? Who's that?" he asked, Could the man actually have a girlfriend? The thought was…painful.

William wanted to bite his own tongue for having let that slip and used his hand to cover the lower half of his face to hide his flushed cheeks.

"You can't laugh," he said sternly, the effect of seriousness ruined by him hiding behind his hand. "What am I saying? Of course you're going to laugh."

William sighed, his eyebrow twitching in irritation with himself. He might as well tell Ronald.

"Mary is my-" he stopped, his cheeks going redder still. "My rabbit," he said quickly. "And before you say that it's strange for a grown man to own a rabbit, I only have her because she had been abandoned!"

Ronald breathed a sigh of relief. Had he been holding his breath? "A…Rabbit?" he smiled, "Not a girlfriend?"

The few people he'd mentioned Mary to had laughed right in his face and told him keeping vermin for a pet was a childish indulgence, which he didn't appreciate in the least. He would just shrug it off and had learned not to talk about her. But telling Ron felt downright embarrassing...and he wasn't entirely sure why.

"Yes, a rabbit," William answered in a defeated tone, fully expecting a bark of laughter to follow.

But he was genuinely surprised when the blond _didn't_ laugh.

He looked up in surprise and caught Ron's second inquiry, wondering where it had come from.

"Girlfriend?" he asked, his lip curling slightly as if the notion was distasteful. "No. The closest a woman will ever get to me is to be a dance partner."

"I don't see why, You're a good-looking guy, and—" he cut himself short, what was he saying? He quickly downed the rest of his drink.

"Why? Because I don't want them any closer than that is why," William responded automatically, slightly confused. "What does my appearance have anything to-"

And then he realized what he had said. His phrasing had made it sound like women weren't interested in him, not the other way around.

"To clarify, I do not see women as more than dance partners. I have no interest in them beyond that, you understand. Not all of us are attracted to the supposedly fairer sex," he finished matter-of-factly. He knew Ronald would not take issue with that knowledge, considering many of his co-workers held the same inclinations, but he wasn't sure how the blond would react to that bit of knowledge as applied to _William_.

"Oh," Ronald felt his cheeks darken, "Sorry…I shouldn't have—I'm sorry, sir."

"There is nothing to apologize for, Ronald. My answers were vague and it's not as if I make my preferences public knowledge. Does it bother you?"

He'd assumed Ronald wouldn't mind, but maybe he was wrong? And if he did take issue? Well, William could deal with it politely if that was the case. But something in him really wanted Ron to be able to accept it.

"Of course not, I guess I had just assumed that you were not the dating type at all…originally. Then you said 'Mary' and You did say earlier that if Grell-senpai wasn't so persistent…So, I thought maybe that I was wrong about all…that…" Ronald felt like a rambling idiot and he raised his glass to drink, only to discover he had already emptied the glass, so he just looked away, watching other people converse.

 _I'm not the dating type._ William thought to himself. He did not date because he didn't have the time to. Or, more appropriately, he hadn't found someone he liked well enough to attempt to find the time to spend with. He felt a strange and tiny bit of hurt pricking him thinking Ron thought him incapable of having relationships. Not because he felt he was incapable himself, but because it meant Ron was making the same assumptions about him that everyone else did.

"I can understand how you could assume that," William replied softly with a nod. "But work driven or not, I'm still just a man." Then his thoughts latched on to Grell and he felt he should explain.

"The situation with Sutcliff is needlessly complicated," he sighed. "I've refused him seriously time and again but he will not relent. Had he just wanted to go to bed, I'd have done it years ago to get it out of his system. But, his feelings are more serious than that and I'm not so insensitive as to lead on another person."

Why was he telling Ron all this? It wasn't his business, really, but Will wanted to clarify so there was no more confusion. If they were to be friends, and William realized right then and there that he did wish to be friends with the younger reaper, then he should be able to talk honestly and freely.

"So you are not interested in Grell-senpai at all?" Ronald blurted out before he could think. He paused, why had he asked that? It's not like it matters anyway, "What I mean is, is there someone you are-" no, that's not right either, "I'll just shut up now."

Why was Ron asking this? Maybe it was novel curiosity on his part. Perhaps he was shocked that William, his cold boss, could have interest in the company of others. William almost frowned at the implication, but instead he found himself smiling slightly with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I am not interested in Sutcliff in such a way. And, no, there is no one else, either. I tend to not look as my lifestyle does not make maintaining relationships easy or practical."

All of which was true. He no longer sought out anything more than a casual fling when the mood struck him. It was much easier that way.

"And what about you, Ronald? You seem to be rather focused on Sutcliff yourself. Do you have an interest in him?"

"Grell-senpai?" Ronald raised his eyebrows, almost laughing at the thought, "Goodness, no. He is definitely not my type. And even if he was it's obvious that I'm not his. He's always hanging off of you or the Phantomhive Demon…The only interest in me he has is turning me into his own personal doll to dress up." The blond sighed and leaned back in his chair, "Besides, I…haven't actually dated anyone since…." He trailed off, his eyes going distant as he remembered back to his ex. There was no way he was going to make those mistakes again. It wasn't worth it in the end. He began to zone out, remembering the still vivid memories.

"I'll never understand his preoccupation with that parasite," William said with obvious distaste, but Ron's response was expected.

He would have been more surprised if Ron had said he was interested in Grell. He'd asked simply to give the younger reaper a hard time. What did surprise William was Ron saying he hadn't dated anyone in an as yet unstated amount of time. It couldn't have been terribly long considering he'd just said he went out frequently. Surely there was a lady or two he was dating.

"Since when, last week?" William said with a small grin.

Ronald looked up at his senior, taking a moment to put together the meaning of William's question, though seeing a small grin on the man's face was enough to pull him out of his thoughts. He blinked, it was strange seeing William smile…but, he found himself wanting to tell the man that he should do it more often. He shook that thought from his head and answered the question presented to him; "Since I was human."

Well that was really confusing. But, William knew better than most that it wasn't fair or accurate to have expectations of someone's behavior or personality based on such little knowledge. That very thing had been running through his mind all evening, so why would he do the same to Ron?

"I assumed that because of your flirtatious behavior that you'd surely had a girlfriend or two. You seem the type to be able to easily charm whomever you wish," William admitted. "Though, just because you act flirtatiously does not necessarily mean that you have a lot of relationships. I apologize for making that assumption. "

He should just leave it at that and see if Ron accepted his apology, but he was really oddly curious about what Ron had said. "Why has it been so long, if I may ask?"

"I flirt, because the ladies like it…Not because I'm interested. I take them out as just friends, and I make sure they know that. They sometimes pretend it's a date, but they know it's not…Gives them something to do after work if they are single."

He fell silent for a long moment, should he tell William why he doesn't date anymore? Why he won't commit to anyone? He had never told anyone that particular reason. Even when a few receptionists had asked him about it, he had skirted around the question. It was a painful memory he didn't wish to relive by sharing it.

"I…don't want anyone else to hurt me the way my ex did." He finally said in a low voice.

Suddenly the conversation was much heavier than William was comfortable with. He'd asked because he was curious and perhaps should not have. He wasn't quite sure what to say. He couldn't relate on a personal level because he'd never let anyone close enough to hurt him, but it would be rude and heartless to say nothing.

"That's very unfortunate. I did not mean to dredge up unpleasantness, Ron," he said softly, looking down at his empty glass. "Perhaps I can make up for it by buying the next round of drinks at the next pub?"

Ronald gave a half-hearted smile, "I think I'll have to take you up on that offer." He leaned to fish his wallet out of his pocket and take out the money for their drinks and a tip for the waitress, dropping it on the table and placing his empty glass on top of it to stop it from getting lost, "Ready, Senpai?"

"Yes," William said with a nod as he stood and put on his jacket. The fact that Ron was still using that honorific made him wonder if he'd noticed that William had stopped addressing him by his last name...perhaps it was just habit for him, but he wouldn't necessarily mind if Ron stopped addressing him formally...

"And, uh, just William or Will is fine," he said a little awkwardly before heading for the door.

He stepped outside and waited for Ron to join him, turning to prop the door open with his foot as he pulled his gloves back on and waited for the blond to lead the way.

Ronald didn't bother with pulling his jacket or gloves back on, hanging his jacket over his shoulder as he walked out the door, "Uh, Alright…Will…" he said. It felt strange to refer to his boss so informally, and he knew that once he had a few more drinks in him he would fall back into the habit of calling the man 'sir' or 'senpai.' He started walking towards the next pub, "But…don't be surprised if I go back to calling you 'Sir' once I'm drunk. Habits are hard to kick."

It had been a very long time since anyone besides Grell had called him 'Will' and it made him the tiniest bit happy to hear it. "It's quite alright, I understand. Though I have to question your logic on getting drunk on a work night. You're just going to have a headache in the morning," William said as he followed Ron.

"Only if I get _too_ drunk. I've woken up fine plenty of times after a night of drinking. And trust me, if Grell-senpai is anywhere near here tonight I am not going to repeat…whatever mistake it was I made last night that lead to this morning's little disaster. You should have heard the fit he had when he saw me on my lunch break. It was like he had been planning to parade me around dispatch like some sort of freak side-show."

"He only has himself to blame as he should have planned better. Though should you lose your sensibilities, I'll be sure to step in and prevent any bad decisions on your part."

"I doubt I'll get that bad tonight, Sen—Will." Ronald said, as they came to the pub and he opened the door, letting the loud up-beat music and the sounds of laughter waft out into still late evening air.

William nodded thanks as he stepped through the door.

"Well, this is much different," he said with a smile dawning on his face as he took in the much livelier scene.

Ronald looked at his boss, there was that smile again… "You should really smile more often." He said before blushing lightly and turning to walk over to an empty table.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of Ron's reaction. He dismissed it for the time being as he followed Ron to join him, removing his jacket and placing it on the back of the chair before sitting.

"And what shall we have this time?" William asked as he called a server over.

"That depends on if we want something a little stronger. Of course, how much will it take to get you out there on that dance floor?" he nodded over to the clearing where people were dancing energetically, "Whisky, perhaps?"

William followed Ron's line of sight to the dance floor, contemplated silently, and looked to the server.

"Two vodka tonics," then he gestured to Ron. "And whatever he wants."

"Whisky's fine for me, thank you." He smiled at the waiter before turning his gaze to William, "So, tell me about Mary, how did you come to have her?"

It was William's turn to blush a bit as he'd hoped Ron had forgotten about it.

"It's nothing remarkable," William said trying to sound indifferent, but his blush didn't go away. "She belonged to a child I was assigned to collect and I overheard that she was to be disposed of once the child was gone," he said matter-of-factly, pausing to accept his drinks with polite thanks. He felt he should elaborate so it didn't seem like he made it a habit to take home abandoned pets.

"Normally, I would have just let things be, but I found I couldn't once I learned her name was Mary," he said quickly, taking a healthy swig of his drink. He must have sounded like such a soft-hearted idiot, taking home a rabbit because it's name...

Ronald thanked the waiter for his drink and took a sip, "Is there something special about the name 'Mary?' Was it your Mother's name? Or a sister, maybe?" he asked curiously.

William had never spoken about his past to anyone, mostly because he'd only just rediscovered it, but the memories were still quite raw and he wasn't sure how to handle them at times. But, strangely, Ron asking made him smile again, bring to mind only pleasant thoughts.

"Yes, it was my sister's name," he said finally. "Though the rabbit is not like her in the least, being docile and sweet," he laughed softly.

"Strong bitter girl, was she?" he smirked, "I've known a few women like that. Let me guess, she was older?"

"Younger, actually," William said, his smile never disappearing as he swirled his drink. He felt a little strange talking about Mary out loud for the first time, but it felt good in a way. "I wouldn't say she was bitter, but she was definitely strong and extremely stubborn. I don't know why, either. I didn't raise her to be that way, but I guess it doesn't matter what one does, personality will always shine through," he again found himself laughing softly, remembering his sister fondly. "And you, Ron? Did you have any siblings?"

"A younger brother…I didn't really know him very well. Father was strict on our studies, then he sent me off to Weston School…" again his eyes went distant, why did all their conversations lead to that one memory? He wished that memory would hurry and fade away like some of his other human memories. "I wonder what kind of a man he is growing up to be…"

Ron really did not seem to like talking about his mortal life. It was understandable as few reapers did, but Ronald seemed haunted by it. William wanted to know what had happened to make him look like that, but he did not want to stir up unpleasant feelings again.

"There is no reason why you cannot look in on him so long as you do not make yourself known or interfere," William offered carefully. It wasn't something encouraged as discovering things about a people from your previous life when you could do nothing to interact was maddening and often destructive in the end, but it wasn't exactly against regulation, either. William himself was guilty of checking in on his great nieces and nephew...

"I know…But it is discouraged to do so…and I tried to once…Only to find out he had been sent away to Weston like I had…and…That place…" he sighed, "Even though my Ex wouldn't be there anymore I don't wish to ever return…. Sorry, I keep killing the mood, don't I?"

William knew _of_ Weston college, but he didn't now much about it.

"To be honest, I am curious as to why Weston seems to hold bad memories for you, but if it will only dampen your spirits to talk about it then perhaps another time," he said softly, finishing off his first drink.

"It's not like it's a bad place. It's a good school, it's just…" Ronald sighed, why did he feel like he should tell William the truth? Maybe it was just to get the memories out there so he could forget about them, knowing he finally came to terms with what had happened? That had to be it. "It's where I died…where I was killed." He said, adverting his eyes down to his glass of whisky, "It wasn't an accident either…I told you earlier that I didn't want to get hurt by someone again after my ex…well, it's sort of the same story. He didn't just betray me…He was my killer." He said in a matter-of-fact tone so that his voice didn't waver and crack. He tipped back his glass, downing most of it like a shot before looking back up at William, "So going back into that school…isn't a option for me. I had a collection job there about a year ago…I traded schedules with Grell-Senpai just so I wouldn't have to go back…That was the only time I didn't fight him when he wanted to put me in something feminine."

The alcohol that was making his head feel slightly fuzzy seemed to dissipate. William wasn't sure what he expected, but he certainly wasn't expecting anything so dark or tragic. No wonder he seemed so troubled by talking about his past. For most reapers, it was just painful to recall something they couldn't be a part of anymore, but Ronald had led what seemed to be a not entirely happy life which ended in horrific murder. William never would have guessed with the way the young man acted, but like William, he probably projected a facade. It was a miracle that he could smile at all.

"It's understandable why you would not want to go there," William nodded softly. That wouldn't be enough. The man had just shared how he'd died and though he didn't outwardly seem upset, it was likely still causing hurt. William really didn't like how vulnerable the blond looked talking about something that had to be painful and he wanted to offer comfort in some capacity. He cautiously slid his hand over the table to rest over Ron's.

"I will make sure you are not sent on assignment there again," he said softly, catching Ron's eyes with a look of sincerity as he gave a small assuring squeeze to his fingers before drawing his hand back.

It wasn't much comfort, but it was something he could do.

Ronald looked at William's hand, then up at the man's face, "Thanks, S-Will. It means a lot." He looked at the dance floor again and finished off his drink, "Well, enough about depressing old murders of school boys, lets have some fun." He got up and grabbed William's wrist, pulling him out to the floor, not caring if the man had had enough to drink to be comfortable dancing or not.

William appreciated the fact that Ron was putting forth the effort to call him "Will". It still sounded a little strange and forced, but combined with Ron's gratitude, it made his mind feel a little fuzzy again and he hoped it was just from the alcohol.

When the blonde mentioned 'school boy', William had another little shock to his mind when he truly realized just how young Ronald had been when he died...and how much younger he was compared to William. It never occurred to him before as age did not matter when it came to the duties of a reaper...but Ron had just been a mere boy when he'd joined. However, the way the blonde carried himself, how attentive and dutiful he was despite the occasional griping, was quite remarkable given his age and William felt a little more respect for the young man.

He didn't have time to say anything on it though as Ron grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the dance floor. He didn't struggle as he didn't want to make a scene, but neither did he make it easy. He wasn't ready, but it didn't seem he had a choice on the matter, either.

Ronald turned and grinned at William once on the floor. Now that he was standing he felt slightly drunk. He had taken the glass of whisky as if it were a shot, and shots were what got him drunk fast. He started to dance, "Come on, Will, Dance with me. Even if your not drunk enough yet, everyone else is drunk enough to not care."

He looked around and indeed saw that Ron was right. Everyone else was so focused on their own business to care much what other patrons were doing. It made him feel slightly less self conscious, but seeing Ron immediately dive in prompted him to as well. Though he wasn't sure if Ron meant dance _with_ him or _alongside_ him. He chose the latter considering he didn't know Ron would want that and he wasn't sure how the other patrons, drunk or not, would react to two men dancing together. He swayed and moved to the music, feeling a little out of place without a partner, but he managed.

"Come on, William, I know I'm not a woman, but no one here cares. Eric and I have even danced together when we couldn't find a girl to dance with." He said, spinning up on his toes over in front of his boss, "I promise I won't tell anyone." He smirked with a wink.

Before he could stop it, his eyebrow twitched at the mention of Ronald dancing with Slingby. He knew the two were good friends, and he supposed it wasn't too strange to dance with a friend, and Ron had said he hadn't dated anyone but he could mean it the same way Will had where there was no romantic attachment but a casual-

He stopped himself right there. He had no business thinking that way. Why was he even thinking about it in the first place? Ron wanted to dance. That was all.

He raised an eyebrow at what he perceived to be a challenge and firmly grabbed Ron about the waist to pull him close and led him into a quick but easy two-step to go with the music and to see if he could keep up.

Ronald grinned and quickly fell into step, not only keeping up, but adding in a few extra footwork that didn't affect the dance. He let William lead, Eric had always insisted on leading when they danced, so he was used to taking the female role on the dance floor.

William appreciated that Ron allowed him to take the lead and was quite impressed that the blond was keeping up so easily. It normally took him a while to feel out a new dance partner, mostly because they weren't formally trained. He really enjoyed having someone that could match him for once. William upped the difficulty a bit adding a few spin-outs and twirls as the music gained tempo as yet another smile dawned on his face.

Ronald laughed as he was spun out and then back in, loosing his footing slightly and stumbling into William, his free hand reaching out instinctively to catch himself and caught onto William's shoulder, making it seem like he was hugging the man.

William knew better than to use moves that would be troublesome for someone that was inebriated, but he had gotten so caught up in the dance that he let it go right out of his head. When Ron stumbled, William's arm naturally went around the blond's waist to brace him against his body.

"Steady, Ron," he said with a smirk.

"Sorry," The younger reaper grinned sheepishly, straightening himself up again, "tripped. I promise I'm not that drunk. Maybe we should just rest a bit."

It felt so natural to hold Ron so close from their dancing that William almost didn't understand why he was apologizing until he straightened up to pull away. Then William was _acutely_ aware of their closeness...and that the song had ended. His face felt hot as he quickly let the young man go.

"Of course, yes, I assumed as much," he babbled then shut his mouth and headed straight back to the table.

 _That_ hadn't been awkward. Not at all. If William had been in the privacy of his office, he'd have thunked his head on his desk repeatedly. As he could not, he picked up his awaiting drink and drank half of it in one go.

Ronald steered off to the bar, ordering another drink, and without thinking, a shot. When the bartender set the drinks in front of him, he took the shot quickly and picked up the drink to walk back to the table and join William. He had lost his footing; that was an accident. It's happened to him plenty of times before. But what he didn't understand was how he had actually enjoyed the outcome of his little lax of coordination. He must be more intoxicated than he thought, but not drunk enough not to care that he had made a fool of himself. He sat back down in his seat and drank a bit of his drink, already swaying slightly.

The older reaper was a little flustered by what had happened on the dance floor, but the vodka burned a little sense back into his brain. It wasn't that strange. Ron was a very attractive young man and they had been bonding over the course of the evening. What bothered him was how quickly William was bonding with him. It was a little frightening but he really couldn't deny that there was a certain attraction both emotional and physical...before he could think much more on it, Ron returned with another drink in hand.

William raised an eyebrow at the blond as he took note of his swaying.

"Are you going to be alright, Ron? You seem a little...off."

"Fine!" He squeaked in response, and then cleared his throat, responding again in a normal voice, "I'm fine."

"Really?" William laughed a little. "Because that sounded suspiciously not alright. Perhaps you need some water?"

"I'm embarrassed is all…" Ronald insisted, drinking from his glass and looking around, and then back at him, "Are you alright? You laughed, is that alcohol-induced?" he smirked playfully.

"Embarrassed? That you're a bit tipsy?" William asked as he sipped his drink once more. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about."

He leaned on the table to give Ron a slight grin. "And, yes, a bit of it is the alcohol, thank you very much, but most of it is the company."

"No, that I tripped and fell into y—company?" he felt himself blush brightly; _he_ was the reason the cold emotionless man was smiling and laughing so much that evening?

Why was Ron blushing so hard, or at all really? Had he said something strange? It made him feel self conscious again and he sat up straight. "Yes. Your company specifically," he said a little stiffly. "This is the most enjoyable evening I've had in quite some time, even if I was not under the influence of spirits or delirium from lack of sleep, I think I would still be enjoying myself."

It wasn't the vodka talking. It was just making it easier to talk.

"That….I'm glad." He smiled back. He could feel his self control slipping away. He was aware of what he was doing and saying, but his filter was gone. Even as he had his thoughts about how he shouldn't say or do things, he found himself doing it anyway. It was a normal level of drunkenness for him, but this time, it was different. Instead of saying something inappropriate to some girl he hadn't met before, he found himself leaning in towards William, "I'm really glad I can make you smile like that, Will."

Even though it was just a few simple words, the combination of Ron leaning in, his smile, and the words themselves along with the use of William's name sent him straight back into being flustered. The fact that Ron was glad to make him smile was...touching. Very much so. He'd never had anyone express something like that to him before. William could feel heat rising from the pit of his belly through his chest up his neck to his face to the tips of his ears and he was sure Ron could probably feel the heat radiating off him. He tried his best to keep his composure, but there was no way he could hide the insane blush he knew was coloring his face.

"A-as am I," he replied lamely. What the hell kind of response was that? Truly he was glad to be able to, but saying so made it seem like he only wanted attention from Ron and that wasn't the case.

"What I mean to say is- Yes. No. I don't know what I mean," he stumbled over the words in an uncomfortably awkward way and he knew he was just making it worse and more confusing.

"Thank you," he finally said, taking great interest in looking at his drink. It still felt strange to thank someone for saying they liked to make you smile, but it was all he could think of.

Ronald blinked, was William flustered? He had said something rather flirty, but he did not think that the man would respond in such a way. He mostly had been convinced that the man would either ignore it, or tell him that he had, had too much to drink and was talking nonsense, which he probably was. He didn't flirt with men anymore. And he definitely didn't flirt with his boss. He wouldn't be surprised if there was some rule against it. He raised his glass to his lips again, He had to admit, the man was rather attractive, and he had never blamed Grell for having such a devoted, if not annoying, crush. And if the man wasn't entirely opposed to dating…no, what was he thinking? He, himself, didn't date anymore, he had learned his lesson on what happens when you let yourself trust and rely on one other person so much.

As he watched Ron lift his glass for another drink instead of responding, he wondered if maybe the blond had said what he had out of drunken playfulness.

With how indifferent he was acting about it, that must have been the case. He'd probably said it to dozens of people. It didn't mean anything. William was just looking too far into it. He was just a substitute for Ron's typical evening, filling the gap that Eric might normally fill, or some random woman from the Dispatch or bar. He must have looked completely ridiculous reacting to something Ronald probably thought nothing of saying.

He lifted his own drink and found the vodka seemed a little too bitter to his tongue and put the glass back down after only a tiny sip.

He was at a loss as to what to say.

Ronald rolled his glass between his palms, watching the liquid catch the light, "Sorry, you can forget I said that…I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't stop myself, and now I'm rambling…"

Now it was just getting uncomfortable. It didn't really matter whether Ron meant it or not, Will had enjoyed hearing it and that's what mattered in the end.

"That's up to me, now isn't it?" William said softly with a small smile. "If there is truth to it, I'd rather not forget it."

Ronald blushed and looked away, "I tend to not lie when drunk…" He was definitely drunk, admitting that so easily. Wait, did that mean he did actually have feelings for the man? He kept thinking about him…and he did like seeing his smile…

"Is that so?" William smirked. "If you tend not to lie, that indicates you let your subconscious dictate your words and actions. Perhaps something in you actually _likes_ putting on dresses?"

"I don't mind it as much as I resist it, as long as I'm not seen in—" he cut himself off, blushing more, "And now you are taking advantage of my loose tongue."

The atmosphere was light between them again and William almost released a breath of relief. Not only that, but Ron was looking particularly...charming. He could tease him more, but he didn't want to push too far.

"Perhaps, but you were the one to get yourself drunk with the full knowledge that you speak your mind," William said, still smirking as he unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled them up. "Are you perhaps up for another dance? It might sober you up a bit."

"Yeah but normally I don't get asked such things!" he pouted, polishing off his drink before standing up, "But if it's a dance you want, then I won't refuse." He smirked, "As long as you loosen up a bit more." He reached forward and ruffled William's hair, knocking it loose from it's usually neatly combed style.

William's eyebrow twitched as his hair was mussed. The only person who had dared do that to him since his sister was Grell, and William had given him a severe tongue lashing for it. From Ron, it was a bit annoying, but it certainly was not scold worthy. He tried not to think about how nice it actually felt... Instead, William ran fingers through his hair to make it slightly more manageable then stood and stepped over to Ron.

"And you could stand for a bit more attention to grooming," he said matter-of-factly reaching out to straighten out the blonde's messy bangs. "Especially this stubborn fly away," he said as he tried to tame the wild little curl of hair.

The single curl of hair that always stood up, stubbornly sprang back up as if William hadn't touched it. However, Ronald's pink cheeks darkened and a violent shiver ran through him as his lips parted to let out a small squeak. He reached up and grabbed William's arm to steady himself, "Pl-please don't do that…"

William frowned at the stubborn curl and was about to try and pat it down again but Ron's hand on his arm stopped him. He looked at the blond curiously, slightly worried about the shudder and the squeak. Surely he hadn't hurt him doing that? But Ron was incredibly red in the face...

"I apologize," he said lowering his arm and trying to catch Ron's eyes. "Did I embarrass you?"

There was no hiding his flustered crack in his voice, "N-no…just…don't touch the curl…let it be stubborn." He looked up at him, with pleading eyes, "It…does things."

William had no idea what Ron could possibly mean by 'it does things', but if he wanted it left alone, then he would leave it alone. It made for an interesting reaction, though, and he filed that information away for later use.

"Fair enough," William said softly as he took Ron's wrist. "But you and I still have an appointment with the dance floor."

He tugged Ron back to the dance floor and wasted no time in pulling him into a another lively dance, allowing himself to get swept up in it.

Ronald's dancing was a little more clumsy, but he still kept up with William and the music for a couple songs, but then the band slowed things down to a slower song and Ronald found himself not knowing what to do. When he was with a girl, he'd continue to dance with her if she wanted to, and when he was with Eric they took slow songs as their cue to take a break.

William thoroughly enjoyed himself again as he danced with Ron. He noted the younger man was having a little more trouble with his feet, but that had to have been because of the whiskey.

As the music slowed, he was tempted to go back to sit down, but that meant Ron would probably grab another drink, and while he was amused by some of the blonde's drunkenness, he also did not want him overindulging. He should keep him dancing...for propriety's sake, he convinced himself, not because he found he liked holding him. He pulled Ron a little closer to sway to the softer music, not saying anything.

Ronald had just been about to ask the man if he wanted to go sit back down when he was tugged closer, the words getting lost on his tongue and forgotten. William's arms felt good around him, and he found himself leaning in as they swayed in a small circle.

Before he knew it, the young reaper began to wonder if there was meaning behind the embrace, or if the older man simply wanted to continue to dance. And though he knew better, he found himself wanting the later thought to be true. Had he been sober, he would have pushed himself out of the man's arms at that, and probably would have left without a word. The thought scared him. But his body wouldn't listen. And when had he gotten so close as to rest his cheek on the man's shoulder...

What was he doing? This wasn't him, he didn't do this…

Glad that the dance hadn't been rejected, William swayed with Ron. It was very different but pleasant to be able to hold a man like this. He would slow dance with ladies on occasion, but he'd never had a male dance partner and it felt much more natural to him.

He certainly didn't mind when Ron leaned in closer still. So close that William caught a slight citrus scent on him. He liked that, too. A lot. When Ron rested his cheek on his shoulder, William had to stop himself from burying his nose in blond hair. That would just be strange and unwanted. Ron was probably just feeling a little sleepy from the effects of the alcohol and being lulled into a bit of a daze from the slow rocking of their dance. If William suddenly embraced him and nuzzled his hair, well, Will would probably get a solid shove at best and a punch at worst.

He kept Ron close but politely managed to finish the dance without crossing any boundaries. When the song ended, he stepped back and looked at Ron with a small but fond smile.

"I hope that didn't bore you to sleep, Ron. However, I know how to get your blood moving again. You wouldn't happen to know how to tango, would you?"

Ronald felt disappointed when the song ended and William pulled away, he just couldn't understand his feelings that night.

"Yeah, I know how. Been a while though." He said, "Not that you bore me. You are a good partner—Dance partner." The young reaper corrected himself quickly.

"I simply wasn't sure, but thank you. I enjoy dancing with you. I have never had a partner I could adapt to so quickly," William said, his smile growing. He truly did enjoy dancing and the idea that Ron, whom he was admittedly becoming fond of, could be his partner for his favorite dance was exciting.

"If you are up for the challenge, then I'll see what I can do about music," William said calmly but he was practically thrumming with energy as he excused himself momentarily to do just that.

He came back to Ron, barely able to suppress his grin and positioned himself into a standard starting pose and nodded to Ron.

"Sir, may I have this dance?"

Ronald grinned and stepped into William, falling into the starting pose with him just as the music started to play. Couples cleared the dance floor, half because they wanted a break or didn't know the music; and the other half because they had spotted the two men who seemed to know what they were doing for the new song selection, and wanted to watch.

Schooling his features once more to match with the dance, he ignored the other couples as he pulled Ron to him firmly. Normally he would have to go incredibly slow to teach partners this dance, but even as drunk as the blond was, he followed William into the basic steps with no issue. Will almost grinned again, quite pleased. He loved the dance because of all the precision and technical intricacies, the contrast between fluid and crisp movement , but he'd never been truly comfortable doing it with women. It was a dance of passion and though usually uninspired by female partners to do more than the basic walk, lunge, and promenade, Ron very much inspired him to improvise and draw him into much more intimate steps including those where he would press against Ron's body quite intimately. He knew he couldn't take too many liberties considering the blond was not entirely steady on his feet, but he thought nothing of drawing the younger man's arms around his neck and hooking his leg over his hip to drag him across the floor before pulling him up straight and bowing him backwards into a dip.

Ronald had always taken the lead in the tango before, it took him a few steps to get the hang of letting William take the lead. He was unable to control his features as well as William, cracking a grin as he was whisked across the dance floor, not minding in the least as he was pressed up against the older reaper. Normally he would add in some fancier footwork, but he knew it wouldn't be a good idea with how much alcohol he had in his system, so he kept things basic so that he wouldn't stumble. He got lucky, lasting through the fast-pace dance, and stretching out as he was dipped at the end of the dance. He tipped his head to look up at William, their noses almost touching.

William was thrilled that they had danced together so well. If he was this compatible with Ron while the blond was intoxicated, how much better could they be when he was completely focused? He felt accomplished and more excited than had been in an incredibly long time. He held Ron in the dip for a little longer than necessary, excusing it to himself as allowing them to catch their breath...not that they actually needed to...

When the blond looked up at him, smiling, William had to admit there was a natural urge to kiss him. His heart was beating wildly from excitement, Ron looked quite happy, and it would be a perfect moment...William leaned in a little closer, his lips ghosting over the younger man's but at the last moment he changed course and planted a small kiss to his cheek.

It would have been a perfect moment, except Ron was drunk. And they were barely friends. William highly doubted Ron would thank him for a kiss on those terms, let alone one inspired by the heat of the moment in a pub he frequented full of people watching. A kiss on the cheek was friendly and likely would not be frowned upon.

"Thank you," he said softly as he pulled the younger reaper back up, a bright smile on his face.

Ronald had closed his eyes when he felt William's lips brush against his, and he grew disappointed when he felt the kiss being planted on his cheek instead. He lingered in William's arms a moment longer, pressed up against him. "Any time." He breathed, pulling away slowly and becoming aware of the applause of those watching.

Blushing a little at the sound of applause, his smile softened as William stepped back and gave a polite nod to the crowd in general. He'd been dancing for the fun of it, not for attention, but it was a pleasant feeling to receive positive feedback. He gave a small bow of thanks to Ron before putting hand on the small of his back to guide him back to the table.

"I may have to take you up on that offer, Ron," he said softly with a grin. "Perhaps not again tonight, as it is getting late, but another time. I must get home to catch up on sleep, but I think I'll have one more drink before I go."

"Right. One more drink then you go catch up on sleep. Wouldn't want you smacking your head on your desk again." He teased, walking with him back to there table and flopping into his chair and picking up his glass, realizing it was empty.

Seeing their empty glasses, William excused himself for a moment and went up to the bar to order. While waiting, one extremely drunk but friendly lady bought him a shot, which he tossed back for the sake of being polite, complimented him on the dance, and told him to hurry back to his "boyfriend". William attempted to correct her, but she shoved him back toward Ron and he spent the effort on saving their drinks instead. It took him a bit of effort to correct himself as the shot of...whatever it was, he couldn't really guess...made him light headed. Whatever it had been, it was strong to affect him so quickly. He carefully made it back to the table and handed Ron another scotch as he sat a little heavily in his own seat.

"As for hitting my head, unless I happen to be under a desk while you're wearing something that revealing, I'll have little reason to." He lifted his drink to his lips with a small smirk and froze when realized how positively filthy that had sounded.

Ronald thanked William for the drink and took a sip, only to nearly spit it out in shock, setting his glass down and turning wide eyes on William. Had the man been looking up his skirt? He shifted his legs uncomfortably, "Y-you…?" He honestly didn't know if he was more flattered or horrified that the man had gotten an eyeful…well, more of an eyeful that was already revealed after he had tripped and dropped the sheet. Which had been traumatizing enough for him. The blonde pinched the bridge of his nose, "I really am sorry you had to see that…" he blushed.

"What are you sorry for? It wasn't a bad view," William responded to Ron's blush before thinking, though his words were slightly slurred. Then he frowned. Why had he just said that? It didn't matter if it was true, Ron didn't like him looking.

"What I mean is, you have nice legs," he tried to amend casually and realized he'd failed again. Why were these words spilling from his mouth?! "Alright, no. The proper thing to say is I did not see anything..."

 _...but thigh._ An evil little voice said in his mind.

"Right, but thigh," he agreed with the voice out loud and nodded. A horrified expression crossed his face as he realized he'd done it yet _again_ then scrambled to repair the damage he'd just done. "I mean, _nothing_! I didn't see anything!"

"You are a horrible liar, Will…" Ronald sighed, then couldn't help but chuckle, "You liked what you saw, how improper, _Senpai_." He teased, reaching across the table to push his shoulder playfully. "And you almost kissed me. Do you always kiss people when you drink?"

He was laughing about it? Well, at least he hadn't embarrassed him further. Not only that, but he was being playful about it. Ron's laughter gave him a fluttery feeling in his stomach and made him want to laugh, too. So he did.

"What if I did like what I saw? And _felt_. It still was entirely accidental, but I can't say I regret it," he smirked and he leaned in with his elbows on the table and sipped his drink.

Okay, so that was definitely suggestive, and he _should_ care about the fact that whatever that woman gave him had loosened his tongue so much, but he really didn't at the moment.

"No, I do not make it a habit to kiss people when I or they are intoxicated, but I would also like to correct you on one point. I _did_ kiss you, just not on the mouth," William said matter of factly, nodding and taking a sip of his drink.

"Well, why not?" Ronald asked, though mentally he kicked himself for it. But he didn't stop there, leaning forward over the table, "You wanted to."

Was Ron challenging him? William _had_ wanted to kiss him, and if Ron wanted the truth, then Will could give him the truth. He found himself leaning forward as well as if it would make his point more valid somehow.

"You are correct. I did," William said with a nod. "But I resisted for four reasons," he said holding up four fingers.

"One: Because we're drunk, and one should avoid snogging when drunk for a variety of reasons," the nodded hard and put down a finger.

"Two: You likely still see me as your boss, not a friend, and it's just weird for one to be kissed by their boss out of the blue," he said as he dropped another finger.

"Three: We had an audience. I don't think I need to explain why that would be a problem," he said, leaving only one finger left which he pointed directly at Ron.

"Four: Because shut up," he said flatly then reached out, threaded his fingers into bi-colored locks, and yanked Ron across the table into a hard kiss.

Ronald let out a small moan, leaning into the kiss and reaching out to run his hand across William's cheek and into his dark hair, pulling him harder into the kiss, their glasses clicking together and tilting crookedly on their faces.

William found he quite liked Ron's little moan. It made him feel pleasantly warm and tingly. Even though he tasted like scotch, a flavor Will liked well enough, he enjoyed the softness of his lips even more. Even the feel of his glasses going askew couldn't distract him from trying to pull another one from the blond...

But a loud whoop from across the pub certainly could.

William broke the kiss quite suddenly and looked towards the source of the sound, only to see the same woman that had bought him a drink at the bar earlier was leering at him and Ron.

"Yes, that thing about having an audience seems to have come forth," William said flatly, obviously unamused with the lady, but he looked to Ron with questioning eyes. "Shall we go?"

He didn't necessarily want to stop, he was just uncomfortable with people staring at them, and if they could go elsewhere, he'd gladly resume.

Ronald nodded, breathing a little hard from there kiss, "Yeah…we probably should go…" he glanced over at the woman and blushed, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair.

William stood and quickly put on his jacket before tossing a few bills on the table to more than cover the drinks and tip. He nodded to Ron and followed him out of the pub, feeling a little awkward about what had just happened.

"That was slightly uncomfortable," William said softly, looking around the empty street before turning to look at the younger reaper. "Perhaps it is time to consider going home."

He nodded took a step towards Ron as if to say farewell and instead grasped him by the shoulders and pulled him into another kiss, this one a bit gentler than the first, but still passionate.

"Apologies," he said, his voice breathy with a hint of laughter as he pulled back. "I had not gotten my fill the first time."

Ronald was stunned, but instead of responding, he grabbed William's tie before he could pull away and pulled him in for a third kiss, "Want me to walk you home?" He whispered against his lips.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," William chuckled softly, unable to resist pressing kisses to Ron's lips between words. It was like once he was touching the blond, he simply could not stop himself. "You've had more than I have..."

"I'm…used to…walking home…drunk…" Ronald muttered, slipping his arms around the older reaper's shoulders. He just couldn't stop himself, and his mind wasn't even protesting anymore.

Something in the very back of Will's mind told him it would be best to part ways here, but then Ron put his arms around him and he didn't want to listen to that voice.

"Then, by all means, let's go," William murmured against Ron's lips as he tugged his wrist and stumbled a bit in the direction towards home. He lived in London himself, not too far from their location, actually. Far enough away that calling for a lift would be reasonable, but William really didn't mind the company. The night air was helping him clear his head a little bit, though he was still undeniably drunk.

As he pulled Ron along, he found he felt strangely youthful again, feeling flirtatious and playful in the company of a friend, swaying a bit through the streets so late at night. It was something he hadn't felt...well, since he'd been a boy, and certainly never since become a reaper. He'd hardly ever let himself go when he was mortal as it was, and he'd never let himself enjoy something so simple since death. He'd always had to be _responsible_ , either for his sister or for his career, and while he did not regret his decisions, he knew he'd not indulged himself very often. The alcohol was making it much easier to give in, but there was just something about Ron that made him feel...nice.

* * *

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

William chatted and teased Ron in his own way, but mostly just enjoyed his presence until they reached his building. He leaned against the short brick wall that lead to his stairs and felt about for his keys.

"Would you like to come up for some water so you're not stumbling drunk on your way home?" William asked with a small grin, finally fishing his keys out of his pocket.

"I think I'll take you up on that, my place is a bit of a walk." Ronald said, leaning against William when he felt his balance starting to tip.

William was actually very glad to hear it for two reasons. One: he didn't want Ron stumbling home on his own, and if he was waylaid long enough, he might just pass out. He could just ask Ron to stay the night, but it might have seemed odd because it implied certain things that he didn't necessarily mean. Two: he still didn't want to part ways yet.

He put his arm around the blond's waist to steady him as they went up the stairs.

"I think it's essential at this point," William said as he opened the door and ushered Ron inside.

It wasn't much, simply because he didn't feel the need to own much of anything. A short entryway with a coat rack led to his living room which only held a couple of full bookcases, a sofa, a table, and a chair next to a fireplace with two doors leading to other parts of the apartment. The only thing that might have seemed out of place was the small crate on it's side in the corner filled with straw.

As soon as William entered behind Ron and closed the door, he got the insane urge to shove the blond up against the wall and kiss him. So he did.

He tugged at the lapels of Ron's jacket and backed him against the wall before smothering his mouth with a hungry kiss, wasting no time in parting his lips and running their tongues together just to taste him again.

"Mm." Ronald returned the kiss just as hungrily, dropping the gloves he had just removed as he slid his hands up William's back to his shoulders, pulling him against his body more. His fingers roughly wrinkling the fabric of William's suit jacket as they curled into fists He honestly didn't know what he was doing, or rather, why he was doing it. He could just be caught up in the moment. After all, while he normally did walk people home, weather it was a lady from the office, a stranger from the bar, or even Eric as they usually passed Eric's place on his way home, he never accepted an invitation inside before. Well, except once at Eric's apartment when Eric simply wouldn't let him walk home, worried that he wouldn't make it, and he spent the night on the older shinigami's couch.

But this was different—extremely different. He had simply accepted the invite into the apartment, and instead of getting a glass of water or passing out on a couch, he found himself pressed against the wall of his Boss' apartment, passionately snogging the man, border-line pulling at his clothes.

He could blame it on the alcohol for making him lose his inhibitions. Or he could blame the dancing for causing his heart to pound. He could even blame that stupid skirt for causing all of this, but, no, William knew the blame was all upon himself. And he could care less.

He liked that Ron was pulling him closer and enjoying the kiss as much as he was, but he also knew if he let things continue like this, it would make for a potentially awkward situation. He slowly softened the kiss, turning down the aggressiveness to make it gentle and perhaps a bit sweet before pulling away.

"Water. You're here for water," he laughed softly as if reminding himself.

He stepped back and gestured towards the couch.

"Please, have a seat, I'll be right back with that."

With that, he disappeared into the kitchen.

Ronald blinked and nodded, "Water…right…" he rubbed his eyes under his glasses and walked over to the couch, sitting down on it, "Damn it, Knox, what are you doing? I flirt, I don't…grow attached…" he grumbled to himself.

William returned shortly with two glasses of water in hand. He'd heard Ron grumbling to himself, but he couldn't make out what he'd said.

"Talking to yourself? You must be more tired than you realize," he said as he handed Ron a glass. Now would be a perfect time to ask the blond to stay, but he didn't want it to come off wrong. He had Ron's safety in mind more than anything, but the whole affair with kissing in the entryway had the atmosphere between them still charged a little and he really didn't want Ron to assume...things.

"If that is the case, then I insist you stay here," he said politely but firmly, taking a seat on the couch himself. There that hadn't been so hard. He'd managed to express himself without succumbing to...Wait, no, he was blushing again.

_Damn it._

"Thank you." Ronald took the offered glass and sipped it, "I appreciate it, but I don't want to be a bother. And besides, I have to go make sure Grell-senpai has returned my pants to my apartment so I can return yours to you. It'll be best so I'm not late for work to—" he looked at William, was his cheeks pink? Wait, was the man…asking for something more? They had just kissed…quite passionately. He felt his own face flush. He shouldn't…he didn't do one-night-stands…and from what William had said earlier…he did.

Seeing Ron blush in response made Will jump to correct the situation.

"No! I mean-! I don't have ulterior motives! I just think it would be best if you stayed here considering the lateness of the hour and you said yourself it's a fair distance to your own place. It's no trouble for you to borrow another suit for tomorrow," he finished lamely.

"If…you are sure I should stay… he said slowly, not quite sure if he was relieved or if he was disappointed. It was so hard to tell. It had to be the alcohol. It was making his imagination go crazy.

William felt instantly relieved when Ronald accepted his words. It wasn't that Ron was undesirable...If he hadn't been a co-worker and the attraction was purely physical, then Will might have considered taking things further, but he just couldn't think of doing that with Ron. He wasn't sure what it was he wanted, but he didn't want to ruin things.

"Yes, I'm sure. Do you really want to contemplate walking all the way home right now?"

"Not really…I guess there's no harm in staying…and it won't be any different than the few times Eric-senpai refused to let me walk home…" he reasoned out loud.

For some reason, the mention of Slingby again made Will's eyebrow want to twitch in irritation. It was irrational, he knew, but he couldn't help but be slightly envious of how close he and Ron were...and how much the blond trusted him. But if Ron was thinking of him and Eric on the same level, then that was something, wasn't it? That was a pleasant thought.

"Yes," William agreed with a nod. "Well, mostly."

William put down his water, then turned to Ron, pulled him into a firm no nonsense kiss, then released him crisply.

"Unless, of course, you kiss Slingby, too."

Though his face was red, William gave his classic adjustment to his glasses and stood, walking towards the bedroom.

"Allow me to get you something more comfortable to sleep in. The washroom is through the bedroom here and you are welcome to shower if you wish."

He disappeared into the bedroom for a moment and came back to offer Ron a spare set of pajamas.

Ronald sat stunned; was William jealous of Eric? Each time Eric was mentioned Will's eyebrow seemed to twitch. And then there was that kiss in combination with that comment…

The young reaper reached forward and took the folded pajamas, "Thanks…"he stood up and faced William, "We don't you know. We are just friends…and besides, Eric's in love with Alan." He turned and started to walk back to the washroom.

When it did make William feel the slightest bit relieved for the blond to clarify, he nodded and watched Ron go and he knew he was being ridiculous. Ron's relationship with Eric was none of his business...

He wasn't anything to Ron...yet. If he could be... He was discovering he wanted to be. Ron made him smile, which was something few people could do. He took everything William did in stride, more or less, and seemed to be accepting of him in many ways. William appreciated that. But, he was also intrigued by what little Ron had told him about himself. What had happened in his life for him to become like this? William also found he liked making the blond smile...

He was becoming attached far too quickly and now that the alcohol was wearing off, it was starting to frighten him.

Not wanting to think about it much more, he decided to busy himself with refilling Mary's water and food and go in search of the rabbit herself, dropping to his hands and knees to look under the couch where she liked to hide often.

Ronald got in the shower to let the water sober him up a bit. He planned to make it quick, but his mind began to wander, about everything that had happened since he woke up that morning, about William, and…about where their relationship may be headed if it wasn't just his imagination and the alcohol they both had consumed.

Did William mean all those kisses he had planted on Ronald's lips? Was he actually wanting a relationship other than coworkers? And was he ready to let someone in close? He had sworn to himself to never let anyone become that close again…but…he already was opening up to William…more than he was normally comfortable with…

He sighed and leaned forward to turn off the water, gasping loudly as his feet slipped out from under him, sending him back onto the floor of the tub. The bottle of soap clattering down off it's shelf after him from his hands flying out to try and catch himself.

William had finally found Mary and was going to drag her out for some serious petting when a muffled thunk and a clatter from the direction of the bedroom made him turn fast. He immediately got up from the floor and hurried over.

"Ron?" he asked cautiously before peering around the door. "Are you-?"

The blond was nowhere in sight but he heard running water so it had to have come from the bathroom. William approached the door quickly and knocked.

"Ron? Are you alright?" he asked loudly enough to be heard over the water, hoping he'd just dropped something.

Ronald groaned and started pushing himself back up, "F-fine…." He called out, only to slip a second time when he was only half way up. "Ow." He moaned and contemplated just laying in the shower for the rest of the night.

He used his foot to turn off the water and he pushed himself up once more, getting out of the tub quickly and toweling himself off. He cleared the fog off the mirror and shoved his glasses back on his face to look in it, noticing a bruise already making itself known on his shoulder, "Smooth move." He grumbled to himself and pulled on the pajamas, using the drawstring on the pants to pull them tight so they wouldn't fall off as he shuffled to the door and opened it.

Getting no immediate response, William was about to try the handle when the door opened, bringing him face to face with Ron. Startled a bit, he stepped back.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "I heard a loud noise and came to see what happened."

"Y-yeah…just slipped…twice…." Ronald admitted.

"You aren't hurt, are you?" William asked reaching out to do...something.

It didn't matter if he was hurt or not, he'd recover if he was, and he certainly couldn't die from slipping in the tub. Still, Will's instinctual reaction was concern.

"I'm fine," he blushed, "Just bruised. It'll be healed by morning…probably. I guess I was a little more intoxicated than I had thought I was."

"I believe that means we should go to bed," William said softly then winced and shook his head. "I mean you. Well, both of us, but individually," he corrected quickly, wanting to smack himself for the continual slip ups. It had to be the exhaustion setting in...

"I'll just get a pillow and blanket for you," he said moving towards the bed and grabbing a pillow and the spare blanket he kept folded at the foot of his bed. He moved out into the living room and deposited the pillow and blanket on the couch before crouching down to search underneath it again for the rabbit.

"I'll be out of the way in a moment," he said as he reached for Mary and pulled her out from hiding, intending to put her in her crate for the night.

Ronald finished buttoning up the borrowed pajama top and followed William back into the sitting room, watching as William bent down and pulled out the rabbit. He smiled and walked around to see her. He bent over slightly and smiled, running his fingers gently along her long ears, "So this is Mary? She's cute. Not as cute as you when you get flustered, but—" he froze. He hadn't meant to say that.

William turned bright red and focused on the rabbit in his arms. He'd been called a lot of things in his life, but never anything even remotely close to "cute".

"Y-yes, she is a charming little creature," he stumbled over the words a bit, unsure of what to say. He wasn't offended, but Ron had to have still been under the influence of all that alcohol to call him cute. He could just side step what Ron had said about him and latch on what he'd said about Mary, draw his attention to the rabbit.

"She is very docile," he said, holding her out to Ron if he wished to hold or pet her. "While I am at work she has free run of the place, but I put her in the crate at night to ensure she won't get underfoot."

Then he realized he was talking fondly about something people normally only saw as food or a nuisance and felt quite silly.

Ronald took her into his arms and continued to pet her. William hadn't said anything about his slip, so maybe he hadn't caught it? He sat down on the couch and looked up at William, "It's okay to talk about her, Will. You don't have to be ashamed you are so fond of your pet. Everyone who has a pet is fond of them." He looked back down at the rabbit, "I would have loved to have a pet as a kid. But Mother was allergic to animal hair. I found a mouse in the garden once and tried to keep it…I thought it was small enough to hide. But one of the servants found it in my room and chased it out with a broom."

"I don't talk about her much because those I've mentioned her to ask why I keep a rodent or if I intend to eat her," William said, moving to sit on the couch and watch Ron pet the rabbit. "I have only had her for a few months so I have not quite figured out how to respond yet. This is actually my first time having a pet of my own...I never needed another mouth to feed when I was alive, so I never had opportunity to gain experience. But, surely you could have a pet of your own now if you wanted?"

"True, but Mother would probably tell me ' _Difficilmente puoi_ _prenderti cura di te_ _,_ _Ronald_ _,_ _non sarà_ _in grado di gestire_ _tenere_ _un animale domestico._ ' If I could talk to her, and she'd be right. I can't take care of myself, how would I be able to take care of a pet?" Ronald looked at William, "I'm out all day working, I stay out all night partying. I can't cook to save my life—or afterlife as the case may be..."

William raised an eyebrow. He hadn't the faintest clue what Ronald had just said, but from the cadence, it sounded like...

"Italian?" William asked, quite surprised and intrigued. "I had no idea you knew Italian. Did you learn from your mother?"

"She insisted. She was Italian and always told my brother and I that we would never know when her family may show up She insisted that her father was a stubborn man who refused to learn an inferior language such as English." He explained.

"You had a lot of expectations put upon you growing up," William said softly. "You don't speak very fondly of your past. You have some good memories, don't you?"

"Sure I do…they just…are smaller memories. Like this one time I skipped out on my studies and snuck out of the house to play with some of the kids in a nearby river…until I almost…no, that's not the best example…" he frowned, each happy memory that he could remember all ended badly.

William was discovering many things he never knew about Ron until tonight. He'd been born into a wealthy family, knew how to dance, could speak Italian, and but didn't seem to have many fond memories of his life. Will had led a difficult life before becoming a reaper, but at least he'd gotten some fondness out of it. Ron seemed to have led both a difficult and unpleasant mortal life.

"Almost what?" William asked before he could stop himself.

Ronald looked at Will, pausing his petting of Mary, and the rabbit sniffed his hand then hopped off his lap and over to William. "Almost drowned." He muttered, "I dove down to get something one of the younger kids had dropped, and my foot got stuck between some rocks that shifted when I went to kick off them to get to the surface faster…Don't laugh, but I still fear being under water…even though I don't have to breath now… when the _Campania_ went down and you found Grell and I in the water…I wasn't just floating there because that crazy old reaper beat the crap out of us… its because I was sucked under and couldn't get to the surface before I freaked out so much I passed out to try and escape my fear…" he sighed and leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling and thinking back to if he had any happier memories from his human life, "Maybe I don't have any nicer memories from my life…maybe…I party so much now because I didn't have a fun care-free life…" he mused out loud, mostly to himself. He hadn't thought about it before. But it made sense.

It wasn't a laughing matter. Had it been anyone else, he would have given a firm reprimand for not being informed of such a debilitating phobia. Having a fear so great that it left oneself vulnerable in the field like that was dangerous and arrangements could be made to avoid such situations in the future. However, this was Ron, and had it been, say, only the day before he would have done just that...but William found he couldn't be so cold towards him.

"Immortality will not automatically erase a deep set fear. It is understandable that you would react that way," William said, trying his best to sound sympathetic. He probably hadn't sounded like it at all, but he would keep it in mind for the future. The Dispatch may have been short on staff, but William could make sure Ron was not assigned to another ship that was destined to sink...or Weston.

When Ron sighed and leaned back on the couch, musing out loud to himself, William definitely felt a pang of...something. Offering a consoling touch, something like an embrace, would be the natural thing to do, but he wasn't sure if such a thing would be welcome...or even how to go about it.

It was a bit funny and sad to William that he was so backwards. Kissing Ron was okay, touching and holding him for a risqué dance was okay, but offering a comforting hug gave him pause.

He sighed himself and shifted on the couch to sit a little closer to Ron then reached out and took the blond's wrist and guided his hand to rest on Mary's back. It wasn't much, but he knew that petting animals was soothing. He leaned back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling with Ron.

"Enjoy your life now, then," William said softly. "I believe you've more than earned it."

"Nah, I'm probably just drunk and dramatic…" the blonde said, rubbing the rabbit with his fingertips, "And I would have been fine on that ship if Undertaker hadn't cut it in half and made her sink faster. I would have been able to leap to the iceberg while she sank and continue to collect souls."

While William liked how Ron seemed to be able to take everything in stride, he really didn't like how the blond could also just shrug everything off. He turned to Ron, his eyes narrowing.

"You said yourself you tend not to lie when drunk. So, dramatic or not, there is truth behind your words," he said, sounding irritated. He suddenly reached out and hooked and arm around Ron's shoulders and pulled him against his side. "Stop thwarting my attempts to be compassionate and just accept it," he said flatly, looking straight ahead as a blush crept over the bridge of his nose.

Ronald blushed himself, adverting his eyes, "You're drunk…" he said before forgetting where he was going with the statement and resting his head on his shoulder.

"What did I say, Ron?" William said softly, a hint of irritation in his tone. He was genuinely a bit irritated, and though he wouldn't ever admit it but a little hurt, that Ronald couldn't accept that Will could be kind without the influence of alcohol. But considering everything the younger reaper had told him over the course of the evening, it wasn't hard to surmise that he had trust issues. If that was the only way Ron could accept what awkward comfort Will was capable of giving, then so be it. Let Ron think he was still drunk. He might be able to prove him wrong another time. He glanced down and the sight of Ron resting against his shoulder gave him that weird fluttery feeling again, and he tried to squash it down saying that the younger man was just tired, but instead he found himself tilting his head to rest his cheek on the top of Ron's head.

"I think it's time we both get some rest," he murmured, not moving.

"Probably…especially you." He pulled back and pointed at him, "I swear you are addicted to overtime. I should change that. It's not healthy."

"It's not an addiction. It's a necessary task which I take on willingly," William said, adjusting his glasses. "Originally I only used to do my job because I knew nothing else, but I've since found other motivation. Besides, it's not as if it's ruining my social life, nor my health."

Ronald cocked and eyebrow, giving the man a crooked look, "You stayed up for forty-eight hours working. I don't care how much work there is to get done, that is a bit extreme. It's ruining your potential social life, and if you pull too many nights like that you could fall into a comatose. Just imagine the paperwork you'd wake up to if that happened."

"I can't tell if you're concerned or if you're just admonishing me, but I can assure you, I know my limit. I have never fallen into a coma and have only fallen seriously ill once and, yes, the paperwork after my return was a nightmare, but since then I've been able to determine how far I can push myself. I am scheduled to have the day after tomorrow off and I intend on making up sleep then," he nodded.

"As for my social life, I've never given it much precedence..." William said calmly, but the blush was coming back again."...but I might...now."

He didn't want to just assume Ron would want to spend time with him, but it didn't stop him from hoping that he would.

"I'd rather you not press your luck, Will. And a social life is good for you. You don't have to be like me with it, I probably have too much of a social life…but you should have more of one…Find someone to spend time with outside of work…" he trailed off, why didn't that idea sit well with him? The idea of William finding someone? No, not someone; someone else. And before he could think he continued to speak, "I'm going to play doctor and I prescribe one outing with me a week until you find someone better! …At least one. No exceptions." There, that made him feel better…yet he hoped that William wouldn't find anyone 'better' to hang out with. "It doesn't have to be a night at a pub either. We can think of other things to do…" he muttered a little more softly.

"I've gone the better part of a century without much of a social life," William admitted. He didn't see that as a good or bad thing. It just was, "And I'm not entirely sure what you mean by 'someone better', considering there are none who want to socialize with me, but if you insist, then I'll take you up on it. On one condition. You and I get to dance sober."

"I can think of one other person besides myself who would want to go out with you—for the evening after work, I mean…at least off the top of my head…. But you might want to keep it a secret from him…" Ronald smirked to cover his blush, "And I really don't mind dancing, with or without alcohol."

"Really?" Will asked, honestly surprised. "And just who would want to waste an evening with me?"

"You know, you're right, I must be absolutely mad if I actually have something in common with Grell-senpai."

William narrowed his eyes a bit.

"Sutcliff doesn't count as he is obviously biased. I am under the impression he likes the idea of being involved with a strict, efficient, seemingly unflappable man, not necessarily myself. I imagine he'd be slightly horrified to discover I enjoy dancing and own a rabbit," William said with a slight frown. He didn't want or need anyone's approval or acceptance for how he decided to live his life, but that didn't mean he liked being perceived in certain ways.

He turned to Ron, his frown disappearing.

"But you don't seem to mind at all and I appreciate that," Will said softly. "Quite a bit."

"Doesn't change the fact that he would quite literally leap at a chance to have a 'date' with you." He smiled at William, "And why would I mind? I don't see anything wrong with a man who enjoys dancing and has a soft spot for a cute little rabbit named Mary."

"Sutcliff would want to for all the wrong reasons. One should not pursue a romantic relationship based on preconceived notions. Besides, I don't suit him, he doesn't suit me. I'd much rather date someone like you-"

"'Like me…?" William's words threw Ronald off his train of thought and left him nearly speechless, his heart pounding in his chest. He looked down, watching his hands as he twisted his fingers together nervously, "D-do you really mean that?"

Will's thoughts had been voicing themselves a lot around Ronald all evening, so he shouldn't have been surprised when that slipped out. He meant it, but hadn't meant to _say_ it, though.

"No," he said, his face going red for the hundredth time that evening as he turned away, unable to look Ronald in the eye. "Not someone like you. You- you specifically."

Charon's Oar, was he embarrassed! He was confessing like a flustered teenager! It was insane! They were just co-workers, not even _friends_ , until a few hours ago. Somewhere between helping Ron up off the floor this morning and sitting on the sofa here together, and not forgetting all the awkward moments in between , William had become fond of Ron. He'd come to care for him a little. It scared him as much as it excited him.

Ronald felt his face flush yet again, his heart speeding up and his stomach giving a small flip of excitement. What was wrong with him? How many times had he reminded himself that night alone that he didn't date anymore? That he stayed clear of any hurt that comes with commitment?

But that was the point, wasn't it? He _had_ reminded himself over and over again…when normally he never had to remind himself. Did that mean he had already fallen?

Even as these thoughts flooded his mind, he looked up at William, his lips already parted slightly as he slowly began to lean in, "Bloody Hell, what's wrong with me?" he muttered before he leaned in, tilting Will's chin up so that he could press his lips firmly against his.

William wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he was strongly leaning towards rejection because Ron had said he did not date. Then again, Will hadn't actually _asked_ him, he just said he would like to.

He jumped slightly when Ron kissed him, but didn't resist. He returned it, reaching up to cradle the younger man's cheek. He pulled away slightly, breaking the kiss to look into the other's eyes.

"What the bloody hell _is_ wrong with you?" William asked with a small smile on his lips. "Is that your way of saying you want to?"

"It goes against everything I have promised myself….but…I can't help but…let you get close…" he whispered, pushing a lock of hair off William's face, "Can I trust you?"

"The fact that you must ask that means that you do not trust me," William said softly. "And it is understandable. You hardly know me, but know I will do everything I can to earn that trust."

"I'm sorry…I'm not used to letting anyone as close as you have already gotten tonight…it's alarming to me." The young reaper leaned against the older, "But, I want to try this…with you."

"No apology is necessary. I am the same. I've not had anyone close to me since I was mortal," he murmured, feeling fluttery and apprehensive as he leaned into Ron. "But I, too, want to try."

He tilted the blond's face up and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, feeling both pleasant and nervous. It was a great responsibility taking someone into his life, but it was also a privilege that would bring him much happiness. He wrapped arms around the other's waist and pulled him down for them to lay on the couch together. He pulled Ron against his chest and indulged himself in burying his nose in blond locks.

"I can't promise it will be easy," William said softly. "But I can promise I will try my best for you."

"I will too." Ronald smiled, "But this means you can't get out of having a social life." He poked playfully at William's chest, his finger hitting just under his ribs.

"I already said I was considering-nn!" William tensed up and inched away slightly when Ron prodded him.

The blond blinked, confused, "You okay? I'm sorry."

"Yes," Will answered, his cheeks tinting red again. "It's fine. I'm just ...sensitive...there."

Leave it to Ron to find it without trying. He could never figure out just _why_ that particular zone of his body reacted to touch like that and it was only worse right now with how tired he was...

"O-oh, it…does things." He grinned, "Then I guess we are even in that aspect now." He inched closer again and leaned against him, "I'll not use that against you….much." his grin widened mischievously.

It took a moment for William to figure out what Ron meant by that, then he recalled earlier this evening about how Will playing with Ron's hair "did things".

"Does things? Like so?" William asked as he stroked fingers through blond hair, pulling gently on the stubborn curl.

Ronald jumped, his face going red and letting out a loud squeak. He covered the curl, pressing it down to his head with his hands as he looked at the older reaper, "Yes…exactly like that."

William couldn't help but laugh softly at Ron's reaction.

"I shall refrain from taking advantage of that in public places, then," he said with a small nod. "But I truly think it is time for sleep if we are to be functional tomorrow."

Will reluctantly sat up, then looked over at Ron.

"Do you wish to stay out here, or...?" he left the question hanging as he looked over to the bedroom. "My sole intention is to sleep, but the bed is more comfortable."

Ronald straightened up, looking at the couch, then back up at William, "If…you don't mind I'd like to join you…to sleep of course." He nodded to the clock on the mantle, it's hands indicating that it was four in the morning. "It is late…later than I normally stay up even when I am out drinking."

It made him a little happy that Ron accepted. It would have been strange to offer such a thing to a friend, but for a romantic partner, it wasn't _as_ strange.

"I wouldn't have offered otherwise," William said unable to stifle a yawn hearing the lateness of the hour.

"Excuse me," he shook his head a little tiredly and scooped Mary up as he stood. "Please feel free to go ahead, I still need to shower."

He was starting to feel so tired, he had to concentrate to form coherent sentences and he was getting to the point of tiredness that it was almost like he was drunk again...only without the lack of balance. He put Mary in her crate and moved towards the bedroom, grabbed his pajamas, and disappeared into the bathroom.

Ronald watched William before standing up with a yawn, grabbing the pillow and extra blanket to put them back in their place on the bed. He turned off the lights and slipped into the bed, rolling onto his side and quickly drifting off to sleep before his mind could start to process what all had happened that day.

William showered quickly and quietly, the promise of sleep motivating him. He dried off and dressed, made sure the alarm clock was set, then slipped into bed opposite Ron, unable to feel odd about it due to his tiredness. It was a very rare occasion when he'd share a bed with someone and he'd certainly never shared his own since he'd become a reaper. Though it was a bit of a squeeze for two grown men to share the small space, he couldn't summon the power to care much. He did have the presence of mind to give a little bit of respect for space as he lay down on his side with his back against Ron's, rather than assuming an embrace would be alright. He almost immediately fell into a deep sleep, though sometime in the night, he naturally turned over and pulled Ron into his arms, holding him tightly as if protecting him.

* * *

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Morning light peaked in through the crack in the curtains drawn over the window in William's bedroom, the beam of light falling across Ronald's face, disturbing his sleep. He groaned softly; he was far too warm and comfortable to get up, so he rolled over, nuzzling against the source of warmth next to him. No sooner than he had gotten comfortable again, than an alarm started to go off and he scrunched his face up, and grabbed his pillow, pulling it up and over his head to hide from the noise assaulting his ears.

William grunted at the sensation of a pillow smacking into his face then bolted upright at the shrill alarm and hit the alarm clock to stop the annoying ringing.

7AM.

He groaned and rubbed his face knowing he'd gotten less than three hours of sleep...then he became truly aware of the body next to him. The night before certainly wasn't a blur. He knew Ron was there and _why_ , but he wasn't entirely sure how to act.

The fact was, they needed to get up and get to work, and so, William would do his best not to have his routine disturbed, extra person and lack of sleep or not.

"Ron," he mumbled, shoving his glasses on his face and pushing gently at the other's shoulder. "Up."

That was all he could manage for the time being before his morning coffee. He stood and stretched before heading out of the bedroom to continue his routine. He let Mary out of her crate, went into the kitchen to start his coffee, returned to the bedroom to dress and style his hair, set out an extra suit for Ron, and returned to the kitchen to start on breakfast.

Ronald moaned, the bed seemed to be getting colder, but at least the noise had stopped. He had barely been aware of William telling him to get up, and he settled back in to let sleep take him once more. But soon after he heard someone walking around, and the thought of him possibly have crashed on Eric's couch again entered his tired mind. He moaned and curled up into a tight ball, hearing footsteps leave the room, and the memories of what Eric would do to him if he didn't wake up and be ready to leave by the time he was leaving, assaulted his memory. He had gotten bruises from the man before. He reluctantly pushed himself up and rubbed his eyes. Running his hand through his hair to comb it back before reaching out for his glasses.

But then another thought hit him, making him blush, He hadn't been drinking with Eric the night before—but William. All at once the memories of their dance, their kisses, confessions…and finally, his falling asleep in the man's bed came flooding back to him. He switched the direction his hand was feeling for the coffee table and found instead a side table. He pushed on his glasses and looked around, seeing a suit laying out for him.

Getting up he changed into the suit, taking time to roll up the pant legs so that he wouldn't slip or fall over them. He walked into the bathroom and quickly washed his face before following his nose to the kitchen, stepping over Mary as she hopped in front of his feet. "Mornin'."

Will wasn't really sure if Ron would want to eat, but it was no trouble to make breakfast for two. He looked up and nodded at the blond when he entered.

"I hope you are not against bacon and eggs," he said, plating the food. "It's not much, but there is coffee if you want it."

He took one plate and utensils to his small single seater table and gestured for Ron to sit. He tossed the frying pan in the sink, ran water over it, dried his hands on his apron and smoothly moved on to start slicing bread.

"I am making myself a cold beef sandwich for lunch. Would you like one as well?"

It was surreal, taking to Ron so easily, being in his household. Perhaps because it wasn't so different from his usual routine, and it was easy to treat Ron as a guest because he was one. He definitely remembered all that had passed between them last night, but he had little experience with this "morning after" business, though their night had been mostly chaste, and he had no experience whatsoever in his own home. Was this how one was supposed to treat their boyfri-

He couldn't even finish the thought in his head without feeling a bit of heat rising to his cheeks.

Was this how one treated a romantic partner?

Ronald nodded, feeling a little awkward as he walked over to pour himself some coffee, "I'm never one to turn down free food." He said. This was all new to him, the last time he had been in a relationship, he had been in school, and his boyfriend was not only in a different dorm as him, but had been two years older. They never saw each other in the mornings, only in the evenings after they had finished their studies. He didn't know how people acted in situations like this, though from listening in on some of the secretaries in the Offices, he did have an idea as to what sometimes would happen. And by the looks of things, William probably didn't know how to act either.

After taking a sip of his coffee, Ronald decided to take things into his own hands and he walked over to William, planting a chaste kiss on the man's cheek.

The kiss caused him to pause in his sandwich making as his cheeks went pink. He turned to Ron and hesitated for a moment before leaning in and pressing a quick soft kiss to his lips.

His face went seriously red as he turned back to focus on making lunch for the both of them.

"Any plans for this evening should overtime not interfere?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

He wasn't sure how serious dating really worked, either. He was perfectly aware of Ron's social life and just because they decided to get involved didn't mean that should change. He wanted the young man to keep on with his life as usual. He wouldn't even mind if Ron decided to still flirt with ladies because he now knew the meaning behind it. William was also pretty sure that Ron didn't want to suddenly spend all his free time together, nor would he demand it.

"No, not really, I never really know what I'm doing until I make plans with someone at work." He shrugged, walking over to the small table about to sit down, but then decided against it and he put on his flirty smile. If he couldn't flirt with his…boyfriend…then what kind of flirt was he? The thought of William being his boyfriend made him feel a little flustered. He set down his mug and walked back over to the older reaper, waiting for him to finish the sandwich before he took his hand and brought his knuckles to his lips, "Unless of course…you want to come out with me on an actual date tonight…should work allow, of course."

William was about to grab some wax paper to wrap up their lunch when Ron took his hand.

At first he didn't understand, thinking maybe he was going to try and pull him away for some reason, but he certainly wasn't expecting a kiss to his hand. He knew how to put the moves on others with no real feeling behind it, but he'd never been shown the same sort of attention before.

He blushed hard again, as Ron had a knack for causing him to do so, but his lips quirked up in a small smile. As odd as it was to be on the receiving end of such a tender gesture, it still felt nice. Ridiculously nice.

"I...would," William replied softly, wondering why his heart was racing over something so simple. He cleared his throat to gain his composure again. "If we can, that is. Did you have anything in particular in mind?"

"Dinner, perhaps?" he said, grinning when he saw William's reaction, "Admittedly, I don't know much about dating, but I think going to the pub isn't the best idea for one."

Will took back his hand to complete his task of wrapping their sandwiches.

"It's all a matter of preference, I believe. But, if you'd like to do something different, then by all means, let's." he said, Ron's grin encouraging the soft smile to never leave his face. William finished wrapping, took off his apron, and grabbed his own plate of bacon and eggs, and his coffee, looking to the table and making a note that he needed to buy another chair.

"Let's go into the living room to eat," he said, gesturing with a nod. He sat on the couch and waited for Ron to join him before starting in on his meal.

"I don't dine out much as I prefer to cook for myself, but the few restaurants I do go to have decent fare. We could go to one of those unless you have somewhere in particular you'd like to go?"

"I never eat out. I either eat food at the pubs, or buy twice as much at lunch from the trolley and take it home with me. I can't cook." He admitted, "We can go to one of your places to eat out if you wish." He set his coffee on the coffee table and held his plate in his lap while he ate, surprised at how much better the breakfast tasted compared to what they sold at work, or the burnt bit of toast he'd grab when he was running late for work, "This…You are really good at making this!"

William looked down at his plate with a raised eyebrow.

"It's only bacon and eggs. I didn't even have tomatoes or beans to go with it," he said, a little confused. He thought it was a very plain meal but he hadn't had a chance to go shopping so he had little to work with. But, if Ron liked it, then that was good enough.

Even so, he couldn't stop his eyebrow from twitching thinking about the expense of eating out every day the way Ron did. It wasn't restaurant dining, but it was still overpriced food, compounded every day over several weeks, months...how could he afford that? He'd mentioned before he couldn't cook, but that was ridiculous!

"Well, it's better than the rubbery things they call eggs at the Dispatch's Cafeteria." Ronald mumbled.

"It's ludicrous to pay for your lunch and dinner everyday! Until you can cook on your own, which I will ensure you are capable of, I shall bring you lunch. That being said, how about instead of going out to eat tonight, we shop for ingredients together, stop by a pub for a quick drink, then return here or go to your place and I teach you how to cook something simple?"

"Trust me, I really can't cook. Grell-senpai has even tried to teach me. And when I managed to set a pot of water on fire, he gave up…quite violently. Had his scythe out and everything. I'm not so sure about me ruining our dinner tonight…"

"Sutcliff is incredibly volatile himself and probably was not patient enough in teaching you. I am not going to expect you to make an entire meal, but I can at least show you how to not set things on fire. At the very least you can watch me and learn by example. I simply cannot stand by and watch you waste your salary on _food_ when that is something that can be remedied," William said crisply, making it clear that Ron would learn how to cook or prepare something eventually. "Is there anything you don't like to eat?"

"I'll eat anything. I do like good food, but it's been so long that I stopped caring. Food is expensive." Ronald said, chewing on some bacon. "But…" he blushed, "If it means spending more time with you then I want to try learning again."

"I am by no means a chef, but I can manage simple fare. You are competent in many other ways, Ron. I have every faith that I can teach you how to make _something_ successfully, even if it might take several tries...which it undoubtedly will if you can manage to burn water," Will chuckled softly.

"But, we must go. We can make further plans on the way to work," he said, gathering their plates and dumping them in the sink to be washed later. He did not enjoy leaving dirty dishes, but he had no time for them. He quickly put on his jacket and ushered Ron out the door, talking on the way to work.

"If we do not fall victim to overtime today, I assume you will want to go home at some point? If that is the case, then perhaps we can use your kitchen?" William asked, then thought about it for a moment. "If you _have_ a kitchen."

"Oh I have one. Well, a kitchen area. I have a stove I use to heat the apartment in the winter, and an icebox. A few dishes. I don't spend much time at home." Ronald shrugged, "I would like to have my own clothes though. Yours are a bit big on me. Though, compared to that skirt yesterday, I'll take your clothes over that any day." He grinned.

William couldn't help but think there was something he liked about Ron wearing his clothes and the thought made him smile the tiniest bit. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but the word "cute" came to mind before he could stop it. Ron probably wouldn't take kindly to that. Though, simultaneously, it only made William aware of how young Ronald was to him in comparison. He was shorter and a little slighter in build, and though it could have just been his body type, it was also logical to think that he hadn't quite stopped growing as most men did by age 25. Will had been nearing thirty when he'd died, so how old had Ron been if he'd still been in school? He never cared to check employee backgrounds unless it was absolutely necessary, so he honestly had no idea. The age gap made him feel slightly self conscious as he wondered what would possess Ron to want to be with someone like him? Someone so much older? The train of thought caused his smile to disappear, but he shook his head to clear his wayward thoughts and remembered the conversation at hand.

"It seems to make sense that we at least go to your place first after work. This way, you can assess your clothing situation and I can assess the kitchen situation and determine if cooking there will be possible. Then we can proceed with plans from there. Does that seem reasonable?"

"Sounds like a plan. Just don't die on me when you see my messy apartment." He grinned, glancing at him, "And you're blushing." He playfully poked William's pink cheek, "What were you thinking about?"

"I doubt it could be that bad," William said softly and turned a questioning gaze to him when the blond poked his cheek. He was greeted by Ron's smile and realized his thoughts weren't anything important. Knowing the true differences in their ages wouldn't lessen how much he liked seeing that smile.

He looked around quickly but subtly, then grabbed Ron by the wrist, pulled him into a nearby alleyway, and gave him a very spontaneous and passionate kiss. He wasn't sure what came over him, really, but he didn't fight his desire.

"Nothing," he said calmly as he pulled away, then turned and got back on his way to get to work.

It was Ronald's turn to blush again, standing stunned in the alley before jogging to catch up to William and fall into step next to him. He had the urge to grab his hand, but he didn't know if that would be welcomed in public, and he never knew when Grell may show up. Knowing how head-over-heel crazy the redhead was for William, he didn't want to risk getting on his bad side. So he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked silently.

William continued on to work in companionable silence with Ron, walking with him up to the offices. He'd done this dozens of times before, walking in with another co-worker, and though outwardly he seemed as calm and indifferent as ever, he couldn't help but feel slightly on edge...as if something might give away the new development of their relationship. There really was no reason to fear it. No one asked him about his personal life, except for Sutcliff from time to time, and even if someone did, he wouldn't share non-work related information.

Ron, on the other hand, was friends with everyone and would likely tell Slingby at least, and William didn't necessarily mind others knowing. If they even believed him. He was sure no one would believe that the strict William T. Spears would date, let alone date someone as energetic as Ron. He simply did not want others to think badly of Ron for being involved with a supervisor. William would not treat him any differently as an employee, save for taking into consideration certain assignments, but that had nothing to do with their relationship. However, that didn't mean nasty rumors wouldn't start anyway.

But why was he fretting? It was still so early in their relationship there was no need to get up in arms over something that might not even become a problem.

He said farewell and gave Ron a polite nod as usual before heading to his office to begin the day's work.

* * *

 

After finishing with his afternoon reaps, Grell skipped down the Hall, bypassing his own office and the paperwork that was waiting for him to reach William's office, nearly running into Ronald as he hurried out of his own office as he was running late for his collection.

The redhead held the report he had taken from a receptionist as an excuse to see the cold emotionless man. He opened the door and slid in without knocking or waiting for William to answer, skipping over to the desk, supporting a knee-length pencil skirt. He leaned over William's paperwork in a seductive pose, "Hello, Darling~" he giggled.

Though not entirely unexpected, William decided long ago that it was better to just let Grell do as he pleased so long as he did not break any rules or get in the way. He gave a cursory glance when he saw a flash of leg, noted that the skirt the redhead wore was regulation length, and went back to filing out his paperwork.

"Good afternoon, Sutcliff," William answered, not looking up from his work. "Is there something you need?"

"Always." He tapped his painted red lips, "A kiss would do, or perhaps a lovely date tonight?" He walked around William's desk, pulling his chair out and slipping in to sit on his lap, "I had hoped for one last night, but when I came by your office you were gone."

"You know perfectly well that the answer to both requests is 'no'." William said, continuing on with his work.

He gave Grell a very displeased look when he pulled his chair away from his desk and invited himself into Will's lap. This was both breaking rules _and_ getting in the way. He grabbed Grell by the hips and firmly lifted him out of his lap to scoot back to his desk and continue his work.

"I was not here last night because I finished and left," William said matter-of-factly, breezing through his paperwork. He did not need to explain himself to Grell, but neither did he need to be entirely curt.

"I see that you have taken advantage of the change in dress code regulations," he said, still not looking up. "It suits you."

Grell's pout turned into a giggle as he wiggled his hips, "It does, doesn't it?" He spun around to show off his skirt, "Oh, and a Receptionist was taking these up to you. I had a look through them; you might want to warn the other reapers in dispatch soon." He handed William the file, "Apparently, some of the other Dispatches of England have been reporting sightings of Hostile Souls attacking and taking out Reapers. I know they are incredibly rare, but," he pointed to a passage on the page William had just flipped to, "There is evidence that these are not natural Hostile souls. Ah~! It's exciting. I've always wanted to fight one ever since we learned about them in the academy!" he wiggled again, "I hope if one shows up in London, I am the one who gets to fight it and reap it!"

"This is very disturbing news," William said reading over the file as the redhead spoke. It was a grave situation that needed to be dealt with quickly and he really did not understand why Grell would want to go after something that had the ability to destroy him.

"Do not wish that upon yourself, Sutcliff. While I believe you would be capable of handling it, it is still not a situation one should _want_ to encounter."

He skimmed through most of the file and looked up at Grell with a nod.

"Please pass on the information by word of mouth until I can get proper notification out. But for now, can you do me a favor and notify the following employees immediately if they have not yet left on assignment?" he asked, flipping open his schedule book to see who had field work for the afternoon. He read of a list of names and his voice went slightly soft when he read Ron's name, but he covered by moving on to the next name quickly.

"Please hurry, and thank you, Grell," he said standing up to move over to his typewriter to create a memo for his staff. He needed to notify all field workers immediately and this took precedence over his current reports as the existences of reapers were on the line.

He had to admit a feeling in dread crept over him when he read Ron's name to Grell, worried slightly that Ronald was on assignment without warning...but reapers went out into the field everyday under risk of attack from many terrible things, so this should not worry him. It was part of the job. It was highly unlikely he'd run into a Hostile Soul anyway...wasn't it?

"Ronald already left." Grell mused, "He looked like he was running late when he nearly knocked me over. Ah, He'll be fine. The kid's resourceful…most of the time. I did train him myself after he graduated after all. But I can catch the other guys before they leave." Grell said, walking out of the Office, blowing a kiss to William as he left, "See you, darling~!"

William's fingers flew deftly over the keys as he typed out the memo, Grell's words prompting him to hurry. It normally wouldn't bother him so much, save for the typical irritation he usually felt towards the powers that be for being so damn _casual_ and late in sharing potentially disastrous news, but this was life threatening and his department should have been notified much sooner. He may have seemed cold to those under his supervision, but he never wanted real harm to come to them. If they brought it upon themselves, that was one thing, but this was just- And Ron had absolutely no warning to be on guard. There was a very slim chance he'd actually run into a Hostile Soul, but the chance was still there and as his boss, he felt concern for his well-being. He could not allow himself to think of Ron in romantic terms at the moment because he knew the worry would cloud his judgment.

As he finished typing, he decided he'd go after Ron to warn him. The young reaper might be offended, thinking William thought him incapable of handling such a thing on his own, or he might even laugh at William for worrying over nothing. Still, he couldn't just leave it be. He'd rather be laughed at than- no. It would be nothing.

William pulled the memo from the typewriter, grabbed the schedule book, his jacket, primary and backup scythes, and headed out of his office. He stopped by a secretary's desk to drop off the memo, telling her to have it copied and sent out to all personnel immediately. On his way out, he caught Grell speaking to other reapers as they left for their rounds.

"Sutcliff," he said crisply, hardly bothering to stop. "I'm off to inform Knox of the situation. I should be back shortly. Thank you for informing me so promptly."

He nodded politely and hurried to London, where he'd hopefully find Ron carrying on with business as usual.

* * *

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Ronald slid to a stop down the back alley his reap was scheduled to take place. The body of the woman was already lying deathly still on the cobblestone, blood seeping out of a wound to her head. Luckily, there was no evidence of a Demon having been there, so his lateness had not caused him to lose the woman's soul, nor had it caused him overtime.

He took out his clipboard and flipped a few pages, jotting down a few notes about the woman's death before walking over to her and swinging his mower down onto the center of her torso, the whirling blades spinning to life and cutting into her to release the Cinematic Records of her life. The black and white frames raising up around him from her body, playing off her entire life for him.

Suddenly, over the hum of his scythe, a loud cracking noise sounded and he felt his scythe get jerked down deeper into the body. "What the-?" The young reaper switched off his scythe and tried to withdraw it, finding it stuck. The records still playing around him started to fade like melting film, and new blackened records sprung out of the woman.

Startled, Ronald yelped and jumped back, having to abandon his scythe. He reached into his coat pocket for his knife, only to find it wasn't there. That's right, it wasn't his pocket, it was William's. Of course he didn't have it.

The black aggressive records shot forward to grab a hold of him and he leapt upwards, reaching for the rooftops to escape. The soul was attacking, and not just the desperate attempt to hold onto a mortal life like some particularly strong willed souls did. This one was hostile. He vaguely remembered talking about Hostile Souls in the Shinigami Academy, and he knew how dangerous they were; having the ability, and the drive to take a reaper out of existence. But they were rare. The last records of one being discovered had been over a millennium before. He had never expected to ever run into one.

Having jumped quickly to avoid the hostile soul, he hadn't prepared enough for such a high jump and his fingers barely were able to grasp the edge of the roof. He grunted and started to pull himself up as a black record caught his ankle and started to wrap tightly up his leg.

The blonde let out a scream as he was lifted into the air, his glasses being jostled off his face and falling down to the ground, the glass shattering out of the thick black frames. The hostile soul caught his wrist and shoulder with more aggressive black records. As they devoured him, wrapping like the bandages on an Egyptian mummy, the pressure on his body grew tighter, as if already squeezing his entire being out of reality. They also started to vibrate, increasing the temperature until they glowed red with heat. His scream for help was choked out by another record as it caught him around the neck.

Ronald's body was almost completely covered, the heated pressure rendering him motionless, bones breaking, and his lungs unable to draw in air to use to cry out or scream. He knew he wasn't going to get out, as soon as his leg had been caught he had known.

He let a few tears fall.

On the ground, the Hostile soul sensed the approach of another reaper, and it sent out more black records, snaking their way across the cobblestone towards the death God, rounding the corner and going unnoticed by the humans passing by.

William managed to keep a calm and logical mindset as he approached the site of Ron's assignment.

But as he rounded the corner of the alley, the sight of black tendrils slithering over the cobblestones toward him sent him immediately into attack mode. He extended his scythe to pin them down and vaulted himself upwards to a rooftop. As he soared overhead, he quickly drew his secondary scythe and shot it downwards to slice the pinned...reels, he realized.

He didn't have time to think as more of the corrupted records shot up from the alleyway to attack him. Will drew back his scythes and used them to quickly snip each tendril as they came at him, rolling and dodging over the roof tiles. There was no sound of a lawnmower, meaning Ronald was down. He knew this would not be enough to destroy the Hostile Soul, and he needed to find Ron and get him out of there as soon as possible.

He took a split second to look into the alley below and saw a mass of the writhing records...Ron was in there... the tendrils emanating from the human corpse nearby. If he could cut the reels from the corpse for a second, then he could scoop Ron up and flee and send in a clean-up crew. He needed to move quickly because Ron was running out of time.

Still dodging and cutting as necessary, though not always successful as he did get slashed a few times, William ran over the roof tops and dropped into the alley once again. The moment he landed, he opened the gripping jaws of his primary scythe as wide as they would go and thrust it at the base of the stream of reels pouring from the corpse, grabbing and pinning the writhing mass to the opposite wall for a split second, though more continued to slither out of the body. Working lightning fast, Will used his secondary scythe to slice through the records, then turned his attention to those wrapped around Ron, focusing on disconnecting them from the corpse. He had to draw his attention away from Ron once or twice to slice at the few that tried to coil around him, but he was an expert when it came to precision cutting and dealt with them quickly, but they left him bruised and burned where they had touched. It took him longer than he liked, but he cut enough away to lift Ron onto his shoulders, hurrying against the next wave, and cutting away the remaining few as he once again used his scythe to vault away.

William dashed and jumped over rooftops as fast as he could to put a significant amount of space between them and the Hostile Soul. Something in him wanted to stop and check Ron over, but he also knew if he did that, he'd put the young reaper's life in jeopardy. He needed to get him to the infirmary immediately! Will both wanted to know and feared knowing the extent of his wounds...sincerely hoping that they were just wounds...

Ronald's borrowed suit was torn and burnt to the point that they barely functioned as clothing, angry red burns could be seen on his skin beneath the tattered cloth. He was still conscious, but barely. He struggled to inhale a breath; "Will…"

When Ron spoke, William was tempted to shush him, but at least it was an indication he was still alive. He almost tried to keep him talking, but it probably hurt and the way William had to jostle him was probably hurting him more. He knew shaking him around wouldn't kill him, but that knowledge didn't make it any easier.

When William arrived with Ronald at the medical ward, the young Reaper's lifeless body quickly caught the attention of the nurses that were standing in the Lobby. They quickly abandoned what they were doing and rushed over, taking Ronald from William and placing him in a wheelchair to rush him back to a doctor, "What happened? Was it a demon attack?" asked one of the nurses as she carefully adjusted Ronald so he wouldn't fall out of the chair.

Upon handing Ron over to the nurses, William looked at them gravely, "Hostile Soul," he answered. "Please do your best to stabilize him, I must return to the scene and finish it off. Be on standby to receive more injured."

The nurses all looked at William on high alert, "A Hostile Soul? Here? Quickly, get him to a private room." One of the higher nurses said, ushering the women through the doors to the emergency rooms to get Ronald to the proper environment. "Sir, if you were there we need to look at you as well. We'll phone over to dispatch for you so—" she blinked, looking around, not seeing William, "Sir?"

William wanted to stay, but he couldn't just leave the Hostile Soul out there unchecked. It needed to be dealt with before anyone else fell victim to it. He knew there was nothing he could do for Ron at the moment anyway, and staying at his side fretting might only make things worse for him. His wounds were minor in comparison. A few slashes and burns, some bruises and welts...perhaps a fractured wrist from when one of the reels wrapped too tightly, but he was still functional. No, he needed to destroy that _thing_. He hurried back to the offices and rounded up all available reapers not on duty to take it on full force. It might be overkill, but that was somehow a comforting thought.

Using his authority as a supervisor, William managed to gather over 10 reapers and led them to the site. Even with the extra back up, it took a certain amount of effort to destroy the Hostile Soul only because they had needed to hack it to pieces without getting dragged into the trap. He was not entirely sure if that was the end of it, but it stopped attacking and that was satisfactory enough. A few of their number sustained injuries, even himself as he'd allowed a bit of anger to seep through and he'd acted rashly, but he was significantly calmer now that the black records stopped flailing about.

He allowed the others to finish the collection and retrieve Ron's scythe, but he surveyed the scene and stooped to pick up Ronald's broken glasses himself. A wave of concern for the blond washed over him as he held the frames, hoping it wasn't a bad omen.

William congratulated the team and ordered those injured to report to the medical ward while the others were to return to their other duties. Once finished there, he hurried to the medical ward and approached one of the nurses he remembered seeing when he'd brought Ron in.

"What is Knox's condition?" he asked as politely as possible, seeming cold and probably a bit curt, but worry gnawed at his gut.

The nurse looked him up and down, "Sir, Please follow me to a room to get looked at." She said, ushering him into a room lined with beds, nurses tending to the other reapers that had gotten injured by the Hostile Soul. She had him sit down on an unoccupied bed, "Now, we don't usually give out information about our patients, but you brought him in, and you are Mister Spears, his supervisor, are you not?" she grabbed the supplies she needed to treat him and put them on the table next to the bed, "Please take off your shirt." She said, rolling up the leg of his pants, knowing from his limp that he had been injured there. She began to treat the burn and assess the bones on his ankle, "Mister Knox is in surgery. It appears that he was nearly lost. His entire body displays evidence of it. I can not tell you more, but I'm sure that when Doctor Knapp is finished operating, he could fill you in on things…Does it hurt to walk or move your ankle?"

He obediently followed the nurse, though he only because wanted to press for answers. William could honestly care less about his injuries, but if it would get him the answers he wanted, then he would follow. He knew well enough that anything but keeping calm would be useless and cooperation was the best solution. He nodded to confirm when she asked if he was Ron's supervisor and complied in removing his shirt, vest and tie. He was about to ask again about Ronald's status when she continued to speak while treating him.

What she said made his blood run cold and all he could focus on was the fact that Ronald was in dire condition.

If he had just followed his gut the moment Grell had given him that file, this might not have happened. If he'd gotten the reports himself instead of relying on them being delivered, he could have gotten the word out sooner, and Ronald might not be-

He swallowed hard and realized the nurse had asked him a question. He looked down curiously, realizing for the first time that his ankle actually _did_ hurt. He'd gotten nabbed on the return trip and shoved it to the back of his mind, like many of the aches and pains he was now feeling.

"I would appreciate speaking to Dr. Knapp once he is available. But, yes, it hurts when moved," he said softly and looked at his wrist. "As does my wrist. I suppose the adrenaline made it easier to ignore. Do you know if there is anything unusual to be expected from these injuries, or will they heal as normal?"

"It depends on the severity. But they tend to heal slower than normal for a reaper. It can get as slow to heal as if the body is mortal. Some may never heal." She said, "But you don't have to worry about that. You may be using a cane for a few weeks for your ankle, but nothing serious seems to be wrong with you." She said wrapping his ankle with bandages to hold his ankle in place for the fractured bones to heal, "You have a few fractures it seems, but nothing is misplaced. Now, let's look at your wrist."

She gently took his hand and began to examine it the same way she had done with his ankle. "I'll give you a cream for the burns. Are there any other places that feel like something may be broken? The cuts and bruises should heal themselves as normal. If they are not gone in a week I want you to come in. and if the cuts get worse, then you are to come in immediately. We also need to run tests on your blood to make sure part of the Hostile Soul did not get inside you. That could be problematic." She said as she worked.

William nodded as he took in the information about his injuries, not pleased with himself for his actions with this new information. He'd treated Ron as if he'd sustained normal injuries, but if he was healing human slow, or worse, not at all, then Will's less than delicate handling of him might have made things worse. He hadn't even thought it was a possibility, but he should have. He thought he'd been handling the situation calmly, but now he realized he'd been on borderline panic in his haste to get Ron some help.

He shook his head at the nurse's question.

"No, nothing else feels broken," he replied flexing his hand. "But why the blood test? What happens to one that is exposed to a Hostile Soul in such a way?"

"According to past reports of Hostile Soul attacks, if left untreated, the fracture of such a soul can attach itself to a reaper's soul and slowly, it will infect it. It will remain unnoticeable unless that reaper gets cut by a scythe. Anything that would expose his soul, even for a second. Their soul will become a Hostile Soul itself and will take out that reaper's own existence along with any reaper in proximity to him." She wrapped his wrist and stood up, checking over his torso just in case there was anything else in need of attention, "If we find traces of it in your blood from your cuts, we will be able to operate to remove them from you before they pose such a threat."

The news just kept getting more harrowing and William truly hated how powerless he was in all of it. It was true that the Hostile Soul had needed to be stopped, but he'd endangered more lives than truly necessary to do it. If any of the men that had followed him fell to this, he would not forgive himself.

"Which is why Knox is under the knife at the moment, I assume?" William asked flatly, a surreal sense of forced calm overtaking him as per usual in times of crisis. "I would prefer if you would tend to my co-workers first. I am not going anywhere until they are all discharged."

"They all have capable nurses tending to them. It is just as important that we treat you right away as well." She said, pulling out a needle to take a blood sample, "Really, you should have stayed when you brought Young Knox in. But you were gone before we could get to you." She cleaned the inside of Will's arm with rubbing alcohol and inserted the needle, "As for Young Knox himself; it is one of the reasons he is being operated on, yes. The amount of damage he sustained left behind more than a trace of the Hostile Soul. But again, I will let Doctor Knapp fill you in on details. He will know more than I do on his condition." She withdrew the needle and labeled the vile of blood, setting it on a tray across the room with other blood samples that needed to be tested.

"I could not leave that thing unchecked," William said simply to her slight admonishment to his swift departure, and tried to listen objectively to her comments about Ron's condition. He could not allow himself to bring emotion into it again, but the intensity of his concern never faded.

"Any more questions before I take the samples down to Testing?" She asked and he shook his head.

"I will wait here both for the test results and to speak with the doctor," he said softly as he pulled his shirt back on. After the nurse left, William approached each of his coworkers to speak to them to see how they were faring and to make sure they understood the gravity of the situation. It wasn't a pleasant task, but he was the one who dragged them into it and he would be the one to bear the potential bad news.

An hour later The Nurse returned to the room that the reapers who had gotten hurt by the Hostile Soul were gathered, "Well, I have bad news for two of you," she said, looking at the test results, "For both of you, it is very slight, but you are infected. Mister Greene and Mister Harris, You will have to follow me to be prepped for operation. The rest of you are free to go. Oh, and Mister Spears, Please use this if you are going to be on your feet. I don't want you to be causing your fractured ankle to get worse." She handed him a slick black cane.

The men seemed to take the information well enough, but William still could not shake the slight feeling of guilt. He was going to file a scathing complaint to the higher ups about the delay in information once he got back to work. He might even manage to convince them that bonuses were in order.

William nodded when the nurse returned and gave the news.

"Best of luck Greene, Harris," William said as he adjusted his glasses. "I expect a quick and thorough recovery."

His words meant well as a sort of hard sympathy. He did wish them a speedy recovery, but he could not seem soft.

He turned to the other men and was about to address them when the nurse interrupted him with the cane business. He'd been doing his best not to draw attention to himself, but he took the cane without complaint and watched the nurse leave with the two reapers. Then, he turned back to the remaining men.

"Gentlemen, thank you for your cooperation today. This may not be the last time we run across a Hostile Soul, so keep today's altercation in mind when out on assignment. Go home. Get some rest."

He dismissed them and limped over to one of the empty beds to sit and take weight off his throbbing ankle. Now that the adrenaline was gone and his duty taken care of for the time being, he hurt. There was very little he could do now except wait to hear word about Ron. He only got up once more to make a few phone calls to make a few scheduling arrangements for the next day as three reapers would not be reporting for duty. He would probably forgo his day off and go in himself to handle the situation.

No, that was a surety. For now, he would sleep until he could speak to Doctor Knapp.

* * *

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Doctor Knapp appeared in the Lobby a few hours later, looking drained as he talked to the nurses. The nurse that had treated William pointed over to where William was napping, and the man approached him, putting a hand lightly on the Dispatch supervisor's shoulder, "Mister Spears, You wish to know more about your subordinate's current condition?"

William, having fallen asleep clutching Ron's glasses, snapped awake at the sound of his name, sat up quickly and winced as the sudden movement reminded him of all his cuts and bruises.

"Yes," he said a little groggily, reading the man's name tag and identifying him as the doctor he'd been waiting for. "Yes, Dr. Knapp. What is Rona-Knox's status?"

The doctor sat down next to him, "He was in bad shape when you brought him in. We took him into surgery immediately. Not only was every bone in his body broken, some were shattered. He had damage to his internal organs, and a high amount of infection from the Hostile Soul, which had to be removed. It's amazing he survived. In my opinion, if he had been in the clutches of the Hostile Soul any longer than he had been, that he wouldn't be with us now. In fact, I don't think we'd have a body to tell us he had ever been attacked. I'm sure you know that if a Hostile Soul erases the existence of at least one Reaper, it, itself will disappear into nonexistence without a trace that it was ever there, apart from a missing soul that was to be collected and judged by a missing reaper. Mister Knox is extremely lucky to have gotten out."

He paused to let the news sink in, "We have reset his bones and replaced the shattered bones with prosthetic replacements. We have done what we can with his organs, and stitched him back up. We also removed all traces of the Hostile Soul from his blood. It is up to him now for the rest of his recovery. I regret to say it may take him a while to be able to return to active duty. I suggest once he is well enough to leave the hospital, that he only be given paperwork until he is fully recovered…If he manages it. I foresee he will have difficulties relearning to walk and he may be clumsy for a while. He will have to relearn all his motor functions. I just want you to be aware that he may never be as efficient on his collections as he was before this."

It was a lot of information to take in and it was quite heavy. Ronald was alive though. That was the most important thing to take away from it all. Even if Will had not showed up in time to save him from all this, at least he'd saved his life. He knew the doctor was speaking to him as he would to a boss about a subordinate, but Will could care less about how Ron was going to perform on the job after all this. He wasn't entirely sure what to do about the recovery process, but he could figure that out later. Right now, he just really wanted to see him.

"He is stable then, doctor?" William asked softly and had to swallow around a lump in his throat and force his voice to remain level to ask the next question. "May I see him?"

"Normally, I would advise against visitations until he awakens so we can assess his mental condition. But if you promise to not speak of anything that would stress him out should he awaken, and call us in so we may do a few quick tests, then you may see him. But just you." He stood, "I am only allowing you in because you are his boss. I know how he is with the ladies, and I do not want anyone stressing him out. You have a reputation that makes me feel that you will not do anything unnecessary at this stage. I trust that you can keep any lectures for when he is healthy enough to return to the offices?"

"Yes, of course," William said calmly, projecting an air of polite concern. "I have no intention of upsetting him."

Inside he felt anger and hurt welling up; feeling the uncharacteristic urge to yell at the doctor for thinking William would treat his boyfriend in such a way. But, again, he logically knew why the doctor was speaking to him like that. He couldn't blame Knapp for saying it, either, as absolutely no one knew of their relationship and William was notoriously cold. But for once this was an advantage. He would not risk losing his chance to see Ron if he was only being granted permission on the grounds of being his boss. He would keep his calm as long as necessary.

The doctor nodded, "We have him in a private room up on the second floor. Room two-o-five."

"Thank you, doctor," William said sincerely. He was grateful to the doctor for all that he'd done and excused himself to get up to the second floor. He wasn't entirely sure what he intended to do once he got up there since the doctor made it sound like Ron was not awake. He just knew he wanted to see him, not very prepared for what he might see as he hadn't allowed himself to look Ron over before. William quietly opened the door to room 205 and quietly approached the bed.

Unlike most of the rooms in the Infirmary which were colorless, supporting only whites and light grays, Ronald's room had a light green color on the walls. Ronald lay unmoving on the bed, a thin white blanket covering his legs, and his torn suit had been replaced with a white hospital nightgown. His arms lay on either side of him, bandaged up, making it appear at first glance that he had white gloves and sleeves on. His eyes were closed, and his chest lacked the settle rise and fall of breathing. To a human, he'd be presumed dead, but as a reaper, his body was putting its energy into healing rather than an optional luxury such as breathing.

His face was pale, and angry red marks marred his skin where the Hostile Soul had burned him. Thin lines of color wrapping up from under the bandages on his neck and up across his cheek.

Ron looked terrible, but it wasn't nearly as bad as William was expecting...but that was probably only because the worst of his injuries were out of sight. He'd just been through major surgery and he looked alarmingly vulnerable. That quiet rage was bubbling up in Will's chest again, whispering to him about vengeance. It told him to swear he would do everything in his power to find out who had been behind the Hostile Soul and destroy them for doing this to Ron. Just yesterday they'd been drinking and dancing together, laughing, smiling...

Rage was much easier to handle than the despair that threatened to squeeze his heart. He didn't feel pity really, just a sort of detached sympathy. Ronald had survived the attack, and should no further complications arise, it meant he could carry on with a relatively normal existence eventually. And he _would_ , even if complications did arise. William would not let him do otherwise. He would stand by him and make sure he got back on his feet...what bothered him was all the terrible pain Ron must be in and a hint of fear that something else could go wrong. Will wanted to reach out and touch him, to assure Ron and himself, but where could he without hurting him?

"You will recover quickly," he said softly but firmly, he said as he reached out and carefully brushed blond bangs out of his eyes.

"I refuse to accept anything else," Will said as he leaned in to press a feather light kiss to Ron's forehead. "Do you understand?"

He did not expect an answer, but perhaps Ron could hear him and would at least know he was not alone.

There was no surprise that Ronald didn't respond; giving no sign of even knowing that there was someone in the room with him. But inside his mind, he was trapped in nothing. It was similar to a dreamless sleep, but he felt like he was floating in a sea of darkness. He had no sense of direction. He had no memory of what had happened to him. He remembered leaving work to go collect a soul…he had been running late…but after that, nothing came to him. He strained to remember, wanting to know how he had come to be in this suffocating darkness. But the more he tried, the more painful it felt.

The darkness seemed to begin to press in around him, pressing against his eyes and for a moment he wondered if he had gone blind and deaf for he could hear nothing, not even a ringing in his ears that people often hear when things got too quiet. Wait, no… he couldn't have just gone blind or deaf…he had been attacked, hadn't he? Had he been knocked out? Consumed by a demon? He thought more on this, ignoring the pain in his head that it caused.

No, not a demon. It had been something else…a Hostile Soul.

That was what had attacked him…it had caught him…was this what it was like to not exist anymore? Had he been squeezed out of existence?

The floating feeling shifted, and he felt more like he was falling…or perhaps flying. He still didn't know what way was up or down, east or west…. But if this was what it was to simply not exist anymore, it wasn't so bad. At least for him there was an illusion of existence. It was just for everyone he knew…that cared about him…William. His thoughts halted as he thought of the older reaper whom he had only just started to get to know…who he was sure he was falling in love with, who was probably planning what to make for their dinner date after work…a date that would never happen. He felt a lump form in his throat, one he couldn't choke down. And then…he felt something else… very faintly…a kiss? He tried to lift his hand to press his fingers to his forehead, but found he couldn't move. He started to panic; he couldn't move anything, not even his lips to mouth words. And then he realized he wasn't breathing. It was always an unpleasant feeling, why hadn't he noticed that he couldn't breathe before? What if he had imagined the kiss? What if he didn't have a body at all? And then, a soft whisper. He tried to calm himself enough to hear it, not even sure he had, but then it spoke again…William's voice?

Ronald wanted to call out to him, to be saved, to be brought out of this horrible reality of not existing. But he couldn't. Tears formed in his eyes, the wetness running down the sides of his face into his hair felt all too real. More real than anything else since he had woken up in this darkness…or is that the right word? He hadn't really fallen asleep…so he can't have woken. He had simply…arrived.

William knew speaking to Ron would encourage him even though he was far and away. When Will had been on his deathbed, trapped and powerless in his own body, the voices of his sister and nephew had reached him eventually and had given him the strength to make the contract he had. This was not much different. He would not allow Ron to fade away or succumb to fear or despair, as it was so easy to when you found yourself weak or powerless in your own body...in the one thing you were supposed to have so much control over.

He noticed Ron's fingers twitching and reached out to touch their fingertips together, hoping the contact would encourage him more. William wanted to take his hand and squeeze it, but he feared moving any part of him would upset his injuries and broken bones.

"Ron," he said softly, hoping the slight movement was a sign he might come to. Then he saw the tears and he felt his chest squeeze painfully at the sight. He gently wiped them away and swallowed hard around the lump in his suddenly tight throat.

"Ron," he said gently. "If you can hear me, know you are not alone. I am not going to leave your side until you open your eyes. I'm here with you."

He kept gently caressing Ron's cheek and touching his fingertips. It would not do for him to show anything but strength and compassion to Ron right now. If he was to heal, Ron needed to focus on himself, and Will would provide the encouragement and motivation necessary.

"You have to wake up, you understand. You still owe me a date, after all, and I refuse to be stood up," he said with a quiet laugh, though his fingers trembled slightly.

Open his eyes? Ronald found he couldn't…he was already trying…trying anything. Even if he managed to feel something twitch to further prove he still had a body.

Wake up? So he was he asleep? When had he fallen asleep? Normally he hated waking up…but now he fought to do so.

Owe him a date? Was he possibly not dead? If not, then where was he? Why was he there? Or was his mind playing tricks on him, imagining William's voice?

No, he had to try. He had to hope that he could wake up. He struggled, His fingers continuing to twitch and brush against William's. He didn't know how long he had been in the darkness, or how long he struggled. Time didn't exist. The more he tried, the more his head seemed to pound in pain. His entire body aching…he had a body? That was good…pain was good. It was something. A sign he was possibly still alive…that he exists. Ronald pushed himself harder, his face distorting in pain until finally, hours later, his eyes slowly cracked open, seeing a soft cool light, dim, but still painful after the darkness. He snapped his eyes shut and inhaled sharply, causing more pain which made him use that breath to let out a pained moan.

William stayed by Ron's side as promised, leaving only to make another phone call to make arrangements to have his shift covered until he could make it in. He also called Eric to inform him of the situation. Slingby had already known, hearing from one of the other reapers that had been on the scene, and insisted on being able to visit Ron sooner. William managed to talk him down on the threat of reporting him for insubordination. He didn't like pulling that card, but all able bodied reapers needed to be available in case of another emergency. He offered amends by arranging for him to come in and sit with Ron once Will returned to work. Eric was rightfully angry, and though he never said it, William selfishly wanted to stay at Ron's bedside as long as he could manage. He knew he couldn't keep it up much longer what with the number of injured staff and the need to smooth over the previous day's events, but at least Eric would be there for Ron if he awoke when William was gone.

One of the nurses insisted that if he was going to stay, that he sit and stop putting weight on his ankle, and to call them if there was a change in Ron's status. Will accepted a chair and sat at the blond's side, still speaking softly to him through the night, telling him over and over that he was going to pull through, that he needed to come to so Will could get on with teaching him how to cook, that he would get up and they would dance again. He was able to keep desperation out of his voice because he truly believed that Ron had the strength to make it. As the night dragged on and the only indication Will got that Ron was even alive was the random twitch every now and again, it left him to his own thoughts...he wondered just why it was he felt such a strong need to be at his side. He had a certain amount of responsibility because of their relationship, but it was so new why was he so dedicated? He hadn't felt so moved by anyone since his sister and nephew, and he wondered if what was developing was more than a desire for companionship and friendship. He knew he liked Ron...he obviously cared about him more than he realized...So what could it be called, this force that was motivating him? He logically knew what it was, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it.

He halted his thoughts and went back to speaking to Ron until exhaustion pulled him forward to rest his head in his arms on the bed. He'd only gotten perhaps five hours of sleep over the last three days and it was starting to take its toll. He fell into a light doze until the sound of a pained moan ripped him away from sleep. He didn't know how long he had been out, but it didn't matter. William immediately sat up and saw that Ron had opened his eyes, or, more correctly, was trying to.

He heard Ron draw in a breath, saw him wince and squint his eyes, and William stood to gently lay a hand over his eyes to block out the offending light. Unable to contain himself, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Ron's lips.

"You kept me waiting long enough," he said, though his words lacked any real bite as they were so softened by relief, and though Ron could not see, he could surely feel the slightly trembling lips smile against his own. William pulled away and called over his shoulder for a nurse, saying that Ron had finally come to.

Ronald was able to relax against the pillows as the dim light disappeared with the gentle touch of a hand. His next intake of breath, though labored, was less painful, "Wheream—nnh-I?" he managed to wheeze out in a hoarse whisper.

He tried to move, to reach out his hand to find his glasses, but found his body still did not respond, only pain greeting him as he twitched. But pain was still good…he definitely still had a body to feel the sting. He took in a third shaky breath, "Wi-lliam?"

A nurse hurried in and looked at how William was covering Ronald's eyes, "Sensitivity to light?" she asked, jotting down a note on her clipboard before approaching the bed, "Mister Knox, just keep you're eyes closed."

Ronald slowly let his eyes relax, closed once more. It wasn't pure darkness, but the little light he saw through his eyelids didn't burn. He remained silent for a moment then inhaled, "…Vivian?" he asked, placing the familiar female voice. So he was in the infirmary. He should have known that. It made sense.

"Well, it's good to know you do remember me." The nurse smiled, "And that you can speak. Maybe after they let you out of here you can take me on a second date, hmm?" she said.

"Wasn't…a d-date…" Ronald said slowly.

"It was Valentines day. It was a date. And then you never came back to see me." She said, as she checked his blood pressure, "The least you could do is give me a second date where maybe we can make it to my doorstep." She jotted down some more notes on her clip board.

"Won't—nnngh—'appen…s-sorreh." He muttered painfully.

"Fine, fine, I'll ask you again when you are in less pain, yes?" she flashed another smile even though she knew that he couldn't see it, "As it is you have gotten me off topic. You are a very lucky man, Ron."

William was going to answer Ron's questions, but the nurse came in and he stepped off to the side to allow her to examine him. The conversation between the two should have bothered him, but he was honestly so relieved that he didn't mind much. Not only was Ron speaking, he was recalling things. It was a very good sign, though his voice indicated he was still in a lot of pain. He wanted to ask if there was anything Ron could be given to ease the pain, but he figured it was best that he stay out of the way for the time being. Ron needed to be examined thoroughly again, likely have his bandages changed, and have things explained to him by the doctor. William needed to inform Eric of the news as he had promised and prepare to go back into work now that Ron was conscious once again. He could do that while Ronald was being taken care of.

"Excuse me for a moment, I must make a few calls. I'll return shortly, Ron. Miss…Vivian? If you would be so kind as to fill him in on what has occurred? Thank you," he nodded and left.

"Of course, Mister Spears." Vivian smiled, making a shooing motion with her hands and wrists, "Go attend to work."

Ron opened his mouth to respond, but by the time he had taken a big enough breath, William had left. So he held it for the next time he would be required to speak.

The nurse turned back to Ronald, "Quite the handsome boss you have there. Maybe I should have signed up for secretarial classes rather than nursing classes. All you good-looking men are over in Dispatch, it seems. He's obviously the caring type too. Didn't leave your side since you got out of surgery." She giggled, and then sat down on the edge of his bed, carefully lifting his arm, "I need to check under the bandages to see if they need to be rewrapped." She explained before pushing his sleeve up so she could unwrap his arm, starting to explain to him the extent of his damage, and what Doctor Knapp had done to fix him up.

Slowly, Ronald was able to open his eyes, though it did little to help him as all he could see were blurs of color. His eyes widened as he learned the extent of his condition.

"…So, like I said, you are a very lucky man." She concluded. Ronald's bandages had been removed completely, and she had applied a cream to the burns after cleaning his cuts. Then she started to rewrap him. "Do you have any questions?"

"…Glasses?" he asked simply, gaining a slight eye-strain headache on top of the rest of his pain.

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't help you there. You were brought in without them. They are either lost or broken. We did send word to Anderson to make you a new pair, but they haven't been delivered yet. In all honesty, we didn't expect you to awaken this soon. It has only been five hours since you have left the operating room after four hours of being under the knife. We had estimated it to take you at least two days to grow strong enough to open your eyes." She explained, finishing wrapping him and grabbing his hospital gown, rolling it up in a way to help him back into it without too much added pain.

Though it was the middle of the night, William made the call to Eric who said he'd head over immediately. William assured him it wasn't necessary since it was so late, but Eric not so politely told him to 'shove off and bloody well deal with it' before hanging up. Will sighed, knowing he'd stirred up ill feelings, but at least they could agree it was a good thing that Ron was alive and awake again. And, if Eric did stay, then William could go home and get some decent rest himself. He didn't want to part with Ron, but it wouldn't help either of them if he let his sleep deprivation get worse on top of his injuries. He didn't want to make Ron worry when he had so much to deal with already.

He headed back to Ronald's room in time to see nurse Vivian finish wrapping up his bandages.

"Thank you, Miss Vivian," William said walking back into the room to take his seat back.

"I've just called Eric and he says he is on his way," Will said, looking at Ron, then he looked back to the nurse.

"I do not wish to sound assuming or demanding, but is there anything you can give to Ron to help with the pain?"

"Believe it or not, we already have. We can not give him more for another three hours." She commented as she gathered the old bandages, "His pain is just that strong."

Ronald inhaled again, "I'm fine, W—Senpai." He assured him, "Pain won't k-kill me."

"There, you see? He's a pretty-boy, but he's a tough one." She said straining up, "Anything else, Mister Spears?"

"No, thank you. I will stay here until Mr. Slingby arrives," William said with a nod and watched Vivian leave.

He looked back at Ron.

"Don't breathe if it hurts, Ron," he said softly. "You need to rest and recuperate. I will be leaving shortly after Eric arrives so that I may rest before my shift tomorrow, but I will be here whenever possible. I will do my best to make sure there is always someone here for you, whether myself, Eric, Alan, or even Grell _if_ his company will not be too stressful."

He moved closer and brushed fingertips over Ron's cheek.

"You had me worried there, Knox."

Ronald gave William the best smile he could without causing himself too much pain, "Not…gonna shut…me up that…easily." He said then let his head sink into the pillow, waiting for a wave of pain to pass, "Guess…I messed up…big time with that—one, hu?" he tried to chuckle, but it was too painful, "Sorry….for today." He said, sliding his gaze over to what he assumed was William's face."

"Stop hurting yourself, Ron," William said as he got up to fetch him some water, holding and tilting the cup to allow him to sip slowly. It was a little frightening how natural it was for him to fall into the caretaker role when he hadn't done it in over a century, but it was a good thing in this case, he supposed. It would be useful.

"And you are not at fault for this incident. At all. Do you understand?" Will said crisply leaving no room for argument as he set down the water.

"There was a waylaid report on recent sightings and altercations with Hostile Souls leading towards London that our department did not receive until just after you left on assignment. You had no forewarning and if I had gone after you the moment I learned of this, you might not be in this state," William said quickly and managed to keep his voice level, though saying it out loud made his chest tighten again. "Do not ever apologize for something that is not your fault. I am the one who is sorry."

After painfully swallowing some water, he looked at William, "Look at…you trying t—o take the bl…ame….fine it's a—ll your f-fault I'm like th…this. You owe m-e a date….with a high interest rate of—kisses." He managed a cocky smirk before he winced.

William frowned slightly seeing Ron wince. He knew the blond was trying to keep the mood light and he would not deny him that. It was also a good sign that he was keeping his spirits up.

"Then allow me to start payment now," he said as he leaned in and pressed lips to Ron's again firmly enough to prevent him from talking, but gentle enough so as not to cause harm.

"Oi! Ron! What the hell did you- Uh...Am I interrupting?"

William pulled away from Ron quickly and turned to the door to see Eric leaning against the door frame as he looked at them with a raised eyebrow. Though flushed, William looked him in the eye. "Perhaps you were," he replied crisply.

Ronald blushed, the slightest bit of color returning to his pale cheeks. Eric was his best friend, but he hadn't told him about anything that had happened the night before with William, let alone that they were seeing each other. The man wasn't even aware that Ronald even was attracted to men. "Uh…Yes… You-u-are." He said, figuring that there was no denying it at this point. Not to him at least. "D-don' tell."

"Well that explains why you were acting so damn weird, Spears. I'd be pretty upset if Alan got his arse handed to him in the field," Eric said as he stepped into the room. "But if you're gonna keep this a secret, you gotta try not to snog in public, you know?"

"We are not in public. You let yourself in," William replied, adjusting his glasses.

"The door was open," Eric shrugged. "But, honestly, Spears, you look like shi- uh, pretty bad yourself. Go home. I'll keep an eye on Ron."

William looked at Eric a little warily. He was being extremely accepting, but perhaps he was also keeping Ron's best interests in mind and not wanting to start anything.

Ronald almost gave a nod, but stopped himself, "As—much as I'd ha-te t' see ya…leave…You need t'—sleep." He said, turning his blurred gaze up to William's form, "I'll b—e fine, W-Will." He flashed a small weak smile that drew a grunt of pain from him, "I gotta be quite the si—ght. You don' wan'—look at me looking li—ke this…anyway." He joked.

"What did I say about hurting yourself, Ron?" William sighed. "Stop talking and get some rest."

He reached out and brushed the bangs from Ron's eyes again before tracing fingers over his cheek, "I do not like seeing you in pain," William said softly, cupping Ron's cheek. "But no matter what state you are in, I will never not want to look upon you."

It was the best William could do at the moment. It was true, but what he really wanted to say was that he thought Ron was still beautiful. Will didn't see the bruises and cuts and bandages, he still saw Ron as the handsome man and the bright soul that he was. In Will's eyes, he was beautiful...but he doubted the blond would appreciate that being said in front of his best friend.

"Kisshim," Eric coughed into his hand, not so subtly making his presence known again.

William snapped his attention to Eric and shot him a scathing glare.

"Fine, _fine_ ," Eric said with a roll of his eyes as he turned his back. "Alright, go for it!"

Despite the circumstances, it really was kind of Eric to be so considerate...in his own way. Will could tell that he, too, truly cared about Ron and laughed a little before leaning in again to give Ron a final kiss.

"I will be back tomorrow," he said softly as he stood up. "And I will go to Mr. Anderson personally to have your glasses repaired as quickly as possible. Rest well."

He walked towards the door, "And thank you, Slingby, for coming so late," William said politely with a nod.

"It's Eric, and it's not a problem but you and I gotta talk when you get the chance, Spears," Eric said looking up at him before moving out of the way to let him through.

"Will," William corrected the other. "And, yes, I do believe we should...Eric. But for now, just make sure Ron will be fine."

Eric gave Will a mock salute as he left and turned to Ron with a huge grin as he moved to take Will's former seat, turning the chair around to straddle it and rest his arms on the back.

"I swear I heard Spears laugh. What did you _do_ to him?"

Ronald couldn't help but give a painful smile, "Forced…him out of th—e office…for a f-ew drinks…Tangoed…a litt-le."

"Tango? You n' him? Since when do you know such fancy moves? Since when does he? Alright, you know what, no, you can tell me all about it when it doesn't hurt to talk," Eric said with a grin and a small shake of his head, "…Of all the people, Spears? That's just gonna make things _weird_."

* * *

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7

William trudged home, the heaviness of the day and previous night weighing on him finally. It was a good thing he'd given his neighbor an extra key to come in and take care of Mary everyday just in case he couldn't make it home, otherwise she'd probably be dead. He managed to drag himself into the shower to wash away the dried blood and other nasty things from his skin, almost forewent reapplying the cream to his burns, but forced himself to and to re-bandage his wounds before crashing hard. He even indulged himself and pulled the pillow Ron had used the night before into his arms, nuzzling it and falling into a deep sleep.

The next day, he woke with a little trouble since his body wanted more rest, but he got over it soon enough on his way to work. He looked himself over in the mirror before leaving and was glad to see he looked relatively normal with hardly an indication he was injured. When he finally got to work, he received a few questioning glances towards the cane, but he merely shook them off. After paying a visit to Mr. Anderson, Will learned that the nurses had already contacted him in regards to Ron's glasses and that it would take him a while because he needed to start from scratch. William handed him the broken pair and Anderson amended that saying he'd have them by the end of day.

Then William went about notifying the rest of the staff about Ron, Greene, and Harris, expressing the importance of caution for all reapers. Of course, the secretaries and receptionists were all very concerned about Ron, and though he was a little reluctant about it, he informed them they would be allowed to visit him soon enough. What harm could it do for Ron to receive more support?

Once the incident had been neatly explained, he got to work. He hated doing it because there would inevitably be mistakes, but he had delegated his usual mass of reports to several secretaries temporarily. Will was needed in the field. If his coworkers were out there on assignment injured, he would work it, too, without complaint. Fortunately, no incidents arose that day and he was able to pick up Ron's glasses and make it to the infirmary at a reasonable hour.

"What do you mean I can't go see him?" A loud flamboyant voice cut through the normally quiet atmosphere of the infirmary, "He's my junior! And I know you let Slingby back to see him. They are just drinking friends!" Grell stood in front of the front desk, hands on his hips as he starred down at the nurse.

"I'm sorry, but until his condition improves more, we must limit his visitors to just those closest to him."

"But I—"

"Are his senior, yes, I am aware of that. But with the amount of times you have come in here from being careless and hurting yourself with your carelessness, or got beat up, you have a reputation with all of our staff, Miss Sutcliff." The nurse sighed, "Doctor Knapp has taken your name off the list of people who can see Mister Knox right now because he fears you may end up stressing him out, even if you mean well. We will contact you when he is in a little more stable condition."

"Well, I—Will~!" Grell had turned around, crossing his arms stubbornly, but upon seeing William, he abandoned his rant and skipped over to the reaper, flinging his arms around him, "William, darling! Please tell the mean old nurse that I can see Ronnie!"

William winced and hissed slightly as Grell's hug both jarred his ankle and rubbed against some burns.

"Sutcliff, gentle! They are not allowing you to see him for just that reason," William said curtly, straightening up and pulling away from the redhead. "I will speak with Dr. Knapp about this, but for the time being, why don't you pay a visit to Greene and Harris?"

It would almost be essential to have Grell be able to stay with Ron in order to keep things running smoothly at work and to make sure Ron was never left alone...if the blond could handle it. But, if he didn't want Grell, perhaps some of his lady friends would be glad to sit with him. That was almost a more comforting thought. Regardless, he needed to get Ron his glasses and speak with him.

Grell pulled back, "But Ronnie would have the best story about the Hostile Soul!" he crossed his arms, putting on a hurt look, "Why didn't you come get me to help after you found out we had one on our hands? You knew I wanted to see one!" he blushed, "Imagine! Encountering something even more dangerous than a Demon!" He wiggled his hips, his mind obviously off imagining something inappropriate, "And I missed it while Ronnie got up close and personal! Ah~ I wish it had been my assignment~"

The redhead fixed a smile on William, "But if you are hurt from it, I don't mind being your personal nurse~" he winked.

William was beginning to have some reservations about letting Grell anywhere near Ron at this point. If all he was going to do was poke and prod, it probably _would_ be best to hold off until Ron was more stable, both physically and mentally.

"You had already left for the day by the time I returned to the Dispatch. I really do not understand your fascination with danger...but to whet your appetite, go speak with Harris or Greene. They fought against it, too. Knox is not in a state of mind or body to take such...questioning," William sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And, yes, I was injured by it, but I do not need a nurse, thank you. All I ask is that you refrain from reopening my wounds as I am healing human slow. Now if you'll excuse me," he said then turned around and started towards Ron's room.

He knocked softly but didn't wait for an answer before walking in, glasses in hand.

Upon hearing the knock on the door, A nurse looked up and gave William a smile as she cleaned gathered used bandages, "Good Afternoon, Mister Spears. I'll be out of your way in just a moment. I just changed his bandages for him. He's been asleep for a few hours so he may be waking up soon." She took a few steps towards the door, "He's improved a little from yesterday. I'm sure you will notice that once he awakens."

Will nodded at the nurse as she left, moving quietly so as not to wake Ron up, and took his place in the chair once more. He sighed in relief as he did so, his ankle thanking him for taking weight off it.

Eric had probably left earlier, and he couldn't blame him. He had a life, too, and Ron probably hadn't noticed at all; being asleep. That was perfectly fine. Will just wanted to be by his side and once he was well enough, they would discuss the matter of his recovery.

It was obvious that Ron would be under the direct care of doctors and nurses in the infirmary until he was deemed healthy enough to return home, but even then he would not be fully recovered. He might need assistance adapting back to his normal life...and Will had been thinking a lot about just what to do about that, but he was entertaining the thought of having Ron move in with him, even if it was only until he was fully back on his own feet. It was a logical solution. Still, that was further down the road and he wouldn't broach the subject unless prompted.

William quietly sat at Ron's bedside holding his glasses and waiting until he woke.

Roughly ten minutes ticked by before Ronald began to stir, letting off a small tired groan as his eyes slowly flickered open. The sound sounded like a normal groan of anyone waking up, rather than the groan of pain Ronald had let off the day before. He blinked a few times then very slowly, his head turned to the side, his eyes going over the blurry figure in the chair next to his bed, "Shit, Eric, You're still here? I told you I don't need a baby sitter when I'm sleeping. Go bug your boyfriend." He said with a small chuckle.

William merely smiled and shook his head, stood up, leaned over Ron, and slipped his glasses on.

"I'm sure he already is," William smirked.

"Will!" Ronald said, blushing and blinking as his eyes adjusted to his glasses after being without them for so long. He smiled, "Sorry, Didn't see you come in." he joked. The color in his face was closer to normal, making him look healthier.

"You look much better today," William nodded, still smiling a little. "I am pleased that you are making so much progress. How are you feeling?"

"Like I was run over by a carriage twice after breaking every bone in my body." He said, "And incredibly bored. Doctor Knapp said I can't have a party to celebrate my not being dead, and to get some life in this place. So my options are talking to anyone in the room, or sleeping. Though Eric said that when I'm high on my painkillers for the first hour or so, my conversations are entertaining." He let out a small chuckle, "So how was work? I'm surprised you didn't get overtime since we are so short-staffed. I was told Greene and Harris got a taste of that Hostile soul too and will be out of commission for another day or two."

"If boredom is the worst of it right now, I'd say you are doing quite fine. I don't think anyone expected you to be this energetic so quickly. If you like, you can have this magazine I was reading," William said handing it over. "I can bring you other things to read tomorrow."

He made himself a little more comfortable in the chair and put his foot up on the edge of the bed without even asking. It hurt quite a bit and he was sure it was swelling. Elevation would help and he figured Ron probably wouldn't mind.

"As for me, it was a relatively light day, so I was able to complete the assignments quickly. The paperwork is being handled by several of the secretaries. Not to mention there needs to be a much harsher balance between rest and work right now with so many injured staff. The last thing we need is someone else out," William sighed, knowing he'd brought this on himself.

"But, we are managing fine," William said with a nod. "Though Sutcliff is demanding to see you. Do you want to see him, or shall I hold him off for a few more days?"

"I've always been a bit stubborn. Lying completely useless in bed really isn't my style. There are definitely better ways for getting out of having to go to work. Hell, I think I'd prefer to be Grell-senpai's doll again rather than this. If I could rush my healing any faster, I would." He winked and looked up at the ceiling, "Though I can't think as to why Grell-senpai would be demanding to see me…" he sighed and looked back over at William, "I don't think I could handle his…energy right now."

"We'll be sure to have a party for you when you are well enough, so save your energy until then," William nodded. "And I believe Sutcliff is just worried about you in his own way, but I will be sure to keep him at bay for a while. Though the ladies at work are concerned about you as well. Would you like some of them to come visit?"

"I'd wait until I could at least move before wanting to see too many people. Well, more than my head and fingers." He wiggled his fingers against the white blanket. "Wouldn't want too many people seeing me look so pathetic."

"You are not pathetic, Ron. You were nearly wiped out of existence and you have survived. Not only that, you are in better spirits than most would be. I'm sure the ladies would find that as attractive as I do," he said quickly, his cheeks going slightly red before pressing on. "Whenever or if ever you are ready to take more visitors let me know and I will make arrangements. Actually, if there is anything at all you want that is in my capability to give, I'll give it to you. I am here for you, after all."

Ronald blushed, but slowly shook his head, "I just don't see the point in moping about it. Makes things even more of a drag. But you can't say I don't look pathetic. I know I do. I'm a big pile of lifeless bandages that is lucky enough to be able to hold a conversation. I'm a talking mummy."

"And you well shouldn't mope about it. That would not help you in the least. And I still say you do not look pathetic. It is...endearing in a way. Bandages or not, I think you are as handsome as ever," William nearly stumbled over the words, unsure if they'd be welcome or not. It was a strange thing to say to someone who'd been put through the wringer, but William truly did not find him any less attractive.

"But if it makes you feel any better, I am not exactly the epitome of grace with this ankle. I have never tripped over my own feet so much."

"At least you have a nice cane to swat away unwanted admirers." Ronald chuckled. I can't even shoo away a fly unless it lands on a finger."

"I have no admirers," William scoffed softly and reached out to caress over Ron's wiggling fingers. "Can you really not move anything else right now? Is it due to pain or you truly do not have the capability?"

"Fine, stalkers then." Ronald said, "But you'd be surprised how many of the Secretaries like you." He sighed, his joking smile fading, "In all seriousness? I can't. The pain itself has eased, so the painkillers they inject me with actually does help. It's scary how much I can try to move and have nothing happen. But the doctor said my being able to turn my head and wiggle my fingers is a good sign It means that the upper half of my body should regain movement. Now he's just waiting for toe wiggles to make sure I'm not paralyzed from the waist down."

It hadn't even occurred to William that paralysis was a possibility. Dr. Knapp had made it sound like Ron would at least be able to walk again, or had that just been his own wishful thinking? The doctor had said that he would have trouble walking, that he would likely not be as efficient as he once was...No. William would not accept that. Not so early in diagnosis.

He frowned slightly and took his foot off the bed, then without pretense he flung the blanket off Ron's legs and stood up to move to sit on the bed. He gently pulled Ron's foot into his lap and softly poked, prodded and massaged.

"Can you even feel this?" William asked trying to stimulate movement by bending and flexing his toes for him.

Ronald frowned sadly as he watched his boyfriend prod at his foot, almost like he was desperate to make him feel something, make him move, "No, I can't. But that doesn't mean anything at this point, Will…"

"I know," William replied with a sigh. "I know it is a miracle that you are still here at all, let alone awake, but good fortune tends to make one greedy."

Despite Ron's inability to feel it, William kept touching and wiggling his toes if only to keep up circulation.

"I want you to recover quickly so that you aren't bored to death here...though you must remain here until you are deemed healthy enough to leave, but after that..." William trailed off, seeming to focus instead on Ron's toes.

The older reaper caught Ronald's interest, and he slowly tilted his head in curiosity, "After I leave here…what?"

"A lot of it depends on how fully you recover. I've no doubt that you will, but it might take longer for some functions to return than others, such as walking. What I am saying is even when you are healthy enough to leave, you might still need some assistance, even just with routine things," William said, concentrating on Ron's foot.

"Yeah…Doctor Knapp warned me that may be the case. He spent nearly an hour explaining each of the possible outcomes of my condition. Said that if I needed it, they would keep me here longer or something like that." He shrugged, wondering why William was bringing it up.

"You do not like it here much and it has been proven that people recover faster in a more comfortable environment, so..."

Why was it so hard to say? It wasn't as if it was some weird scheme. It was courtesy, it was responsibility, it was a lot of commitment...

"Live with me," William said before he could stop himself and looked down again, his ears going red.

"You said yourself that you can hardly take care of yourself properly when you're perfectly healthy, but I can—no, want—no, can—I can take care of you—things—at least until you can be fully independent again," William stammered, again awkwardly stumbling over his words, his face matching his ears.

Saying it out loud, he realized he truly _wanted_ Ron to live with him and not just to take care of him. It was so irrational for him to get so attached so quickly, but that didn't kill the desire in his heart. Still, he had to be careful. Ron would not trust him easily and he could not blame him. He knew he should expect rejection.

"B-but if your answer is no, I understand," William finished.

Ronald turned bright red, "M-move in with you?" the blond hadn't known what to expect, but that was not it. He fell silent for a long moment; it was a huge decision, one that showed both commitment and trust. Especially this early in the relationship. It had only been two days since they had agreed to try being a couple. And they had both admitted to things that made the question of living together all the more meaningful to both of them.

The fact that William would even ask him to move in with him told him everything he needed to know, That he was in fact serious about their relationship, that he did truly care about him, that he trusts him, and, most importantly, he was willing to commit to him.

It made Ronald think about his own feelings on another level. Yes, the man was handsome, yes his smile made his heart flutter, and yes, he wanted to be with him…but why did he want to open himself to this man? Why did he yearn for his touch, to see him smile, hear his laugh? Why did he let himself trust this man? The answer was simple, yet hard to admit; he loved him.

Realizing this, he realized that he had already fallen too hard in such a short amount of time. He knew that if the man left him today, it'd hurt just as much as if they had been together for months—years. He had already committed himself to him. What harm was there to show it? To show the man he loved that he did trust him, despite the fact that his past was screaming at him to never trust anyone with his heart again.

"Yes…" he said softly, wetting his lips, "I…with you…" Why was it so hard to say 'Yes, I will live with you, William.'?

Ron sounded really surprised by William's question, which was entirely understandable. It was a big decision even if it was temporary because it meant he had to trust Will, and Will dearly wanted that trust. Not only that, but they hardly knew each other. How could one know if they could live with another person without knowing them? Simply put, they couldn't, and were it anyone else, William never would have offered...but he wanted to go out on a limb and try for Ron. He wanted to do a lot of things for Ron.

His head snapped up to look at the blond at Ron's quiet answer.

"Really?" he asked, his voice incredibly excited as a bright smile bloomed on his lips, looking much like a kid who'd just been given something they never thought they would have. Then Will realized how ridiculous he must seem for getting so excited and schooled his expression down to a much softer smile.

"It doesn't have to be permanent. As I said before, it can be just until you are able to take care of yourself once again...or longer...but you can come to that decision later. If you change your mind between now and being discharged from the infirmary, I will understand, too," William said moving on to Ron's other foot.

Ronald nodded slowly, "We'll see how things go with it." He smiled, William's excited smile making him feel light, "I really do like your smile, Will." He commented.

Will's grin grew a little broader though he still looked down at Ron's foot in his hands.

"You give me a reason to..." he said softly, "I haven't had reason to smile in a very long time."

"Look at us…talking all this mushy stuff…and I can't even get up to hug you." Ronald laughed in hopes of hiding his blush. He never blushed so much before he and William had started to open up to each other.

"I thought that was a common expectation for boyfriends, this 'mushy stuff'," William said with a smirk as he stood. "Is that what you want? A hug? I can give you that."

He leaned over Ron and carefully hugged him, making sure not to move him too much.

"This is an entirely new experience for myself, but I am glad to be sharing it with you," he said softly before releasing Ron and sitting back down.

"I will start preparations at home when I can then. I also must start an investigation as to who is behind the Hostile Souls. It's become a bit...personal."

"Someone's behind it?" Ronald asked, frowning, "I thought they were a rare natural occurrence and I got the short end of the stick…Though…now that I think about it…you did mention that a string of them have been turning up…"

"Yes, according to the report I received, it appears there have been an unnatural amount of incidences, which indicates that, yes, someone is behind them. If so, I intend to do all I can to track them down."

"But who would temper with a soul? It's dangerous…" Ronald sighed, "Demon? Angel? Certainly not a reaper… and Humans are incapable…But if it is a reaper then I have a fist with his name on it."

"Having never dealt with one personally before, I can't say. But they are typically the work of angels, though I suppose it isn't out of the realm of possibility for it to be a demon or a fellow reaper. Regardless, whoever it is, whether one or many, my scythe will taste their blood."

"Whoever—or whatever they are…they are dangerous…so…do be careful. As much as I'd like your company…I don't want us to be room mates in this infirmary."

"It is not my intention to get injured any worse than I already have," William nodded. "I will be cautious as always." Ron didn't need to know that he'd gotten this way because he'd nearly lost his temper.

Will stayed at Ron's side until the blond told him to leave when he kept nodding off. He hadn't meant to, but nurse Vivian paid a visit to check on Ron, saw the state of Will's ankle and insisted that he take medication for the swelling, which, in turn made him quite drowsy. He reluctantly left, but managed to himself into bed at a decent hour for the first time in many days because of it. William idly wondered if Vivian had done it on purpose, but lost track of the thought when he passed out into another dreamless sleep.

Over the next few days, he fell into a routine once again, work, infirmary, home. The only discrepancies came when he'd needed to hand deliver his assessment of the poor handling of informing the London Dispatch of the Hostile Souls to the head offices, and while he was there, looking fruitlessly for information on the source of the Hostile Souls. The lack of information was irritating, but not unexpected. That and the few trips he took to various shops to ready his home to take in another. It was just little things: another chair for the kitchen table, more towels, a few more dishes and utensils. It wasn't much, but it made him feel a bit happy to buy them.

William had even managed to talk Grell down about visiting Ron just yet, but he could not escape a rather persistent gaggle of ladies. He'd been rather firm about Ron not accepting visitors just yet, but one of the girls started crying, then another, and another, and William couldn't take it anymore. He didn't deal well with emotional situations, but he was especially weak towards crying women. He allowed them to follow him to the infirmary but insisted they wait in the lobby until he got Ron's permission. Will knocked and entered Ron's room as usual.

"Ron, I know you said you did not want visitors so soon, but there are several ladies who would like to see you," William said calmly.

Ronald lay on the bed as Vivian changed his wrappings, carefully winding them around his leg. "Are they, now? He sighed and waited for the nurse to lay his still motionless leg down on the bed and spread his blanket back over him. He grunted, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position.

Over the past few days his range of motion had slowly increased, working it's way up his arms, though his motion was slow and somewhat shaky. But this was the first time he had been able to sit up. He grinned and looked over at William, "I guess I look less pathetic enough for a short visit from them if they are being so persistent.

Vivian sighed, "So I have to share you now?"

"I told you yesterday, I belong to no _woman_ in particular." He smirked, glancing at the reaper in the doorway, "Send in the hounds, boss."

Will couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at Ron's little statement.

' _In particular'? It should be 'at all'._

"I will conveniently forget what you just said about your lady friends," William said before he left to fetch the ladies. It was a set of three: Theresa from general affairs, and Melissa and Loraine; secretaries from their floor. From what William could tell, the three ladies were close friends themselves and all had a particular fondness for Ron. It was Theresa that had started with the waterworks, and though she had considerably calmed, she was still red-eyed and a bit weepy. William offered her yet another handkerchief as he led them to Ron's room and let them in with a warning not to overexcite him or they would have to leave. He stood off to the side as the three filed in, seeming relatively calm.

William watched as they fussed and cooed and giggled with Ron, obviously not minding his state at all. Theresa had wasted no time in moving to the blond's side to hold his hand while Loraine had taken residence at Ron's other side and casually touched his shoulder. Melissa sat herself down and put a hand on Ron's knee as they all continued to chat. It was hardly appropriate behavior for ladies, but they were friends, he supposed, and these were stressful circumstances. He could understand needing a bit of physical assurance. Positive influence was a good thing...or so Will thought until the flirting began.

Melissa joked about wanting to take Ron out to celebrate once he was well enough to and patted his knee in a sisterly manner. That didn't bother William much. Loraine agreed that a date was a good idea and that she wanted Ron to teach her to dance more as she fingers slid over his shoulder and up his neck to toy with his hair a little. That sort of bothered William but he managed to keep his expression neutral. Theresa then picked up the conversation and mewled about how much she'd been worried about Ron then moved closer to him and squeezed his hand before hugging it to her chest as she went on about how he owed her a date for a favor she'd given him, still clutching his hand to her chest. William's eye twitched at that.

Ronald politely put on his normal wide, cheery smile, but flinched when Theresa squeezed his hand, "Gentle, Ladies…I'm a bit broken right now." He meant it to be serious, but the three women took it as him flirting.

"Oh our poor Ronnie!" Melissa said, sliding her hand up his leg more as she leaned in.

"Do you want us to help fix you?" asked Loraine, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his cheek, catching the corner of his mouth and leaving behind the print of her lipstick.

"We can treat _you_ to our next date. All three of us! We can even make it a night you'll never forget." Theresa said, still clinging to his hand at her chest and running her knuckles along his cheek.

"No…I really mean be careful…my hand…" Ronald said, looking extremely uncomfortable. Even before he was committed to William, he had always found ways to back out if one of the ladies started making suggestions that sounded more like heading back to her place.

"Oh!" Theresa let go of his hand and leaned in, "I'm sorry! But our offer still stands." She winked.

William watched as the flirting became more aggressive, bordering on harassment, if the look on Ron's face was any indication, and found he would not tolerate it any longer. He cleared his throat to catch their attention and shot every one of them a profound look of disapproval.

"Ladies, words of encouragement and perhaps the most _platonic_ of contact is permissible, however, I know for a fact his significant other would not approve of such...flirtations."

"Whaaat?!" All three girls said at the same time and looked at Ronald, "You mean you actually committed to someone? You? Who is she? What department?"

"Wouldn't it be more fun for you three to guess or something?" Ronald blushed.

"The person in question's identity is not of importance, it is the show of respect that is," William said, adjusting his glasses. "Now, ladies, kindly stop pawing him."

"What do you care anyway, Mister Spears? We aren't on the clock, so this doesn't reflect back to productivity." Melissa said.

"Girls, he's right. Please get off me."

"But you belong to all of us! It's not fair that now only one gets you."

"You are very correct in that, Miss Melissa. This has nothing to do with productivity," Will said carefully as he stepped forward, his eyebrow twitching slightly, his cane rapping a bit harder than intended. "It is entirely personal. As Ron has asked all of you nicely, I ask that you please take your hands off _my_ boyfriend. Is that a satisfactory reason as to why I care?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow and a firm gaze.

He didn't know what had come over him, but, friends or not, he wanted those ladies off of Ron _immediately_. He would never divulge such personal information normally, but he wanted to make his claim known. It was mostly inspired by Ron's obvious discomfort and the ladies' blatant disregard for it, but a good part of it was a streak of jealousy.

"Don't be Silly! Everyone knows Ronnie isn't into guys."

"Theresa, I think he's not joking…" Loraine commented.

"No, He's straight as an arrow. He's never been with a guy before! Right, Ronnie?" Melissa asked.

"No, You only assume that. I've had a boyfriend before. And now I am with William Spears." Ronald said after he got over his shock of hearing William announce it like he had.

The girls all looked at him in shock.

"How long?" Melissa demanded.

"I am not one to joke about anything. And frankly, any further details are none of your business," William said crisply. "I did not intend to reveal our relationship, but subtlety did not seem to be working to dissuade you ladies from being so forward."

"Well, you should be used to it! We are not the only girls he's taken out dancing, or to the pub…or to dinner or a play!" Theresa said, hands on her hips, "So you best get used to girls hanging around him!"

"Oh Ronnie, why would you tie yourself down? We didn't mind sharing you as long as you still could flirt with us! And it's not even like it was one of us, either…why Mister Spears? He's so _cold_ and… _emotionless_! I mean, sure, he's handsome and all, but…seriously! Are you trying to get out of overtime or something?" Melissa said as if William wasn't even there.

Ronald glared, "I have _always_ been truthful to you ladies about how I live my social life. So why would you even _think_ that I would tie myself down to someone just to use them? I'm not getting any special treatment when it comes to work. I just happened to fall for him, alright? Now, I think its best you leave. I'm still healing and I'd rather not waste my energy arguing with you, and then end up falling asleep on Will later after you do finally leave on your own accord."

William was very used to being thought of as cold and emotionless. He knew people would not believe that Ron would want to be with someone like him, and he really couldn't blame them. He wasn't quite sure why Ron wanted to be either, but he knew for a fact it wasn't for work. There had been too much honesty and vulnerability between them for him to ever think that. But, that did not change the fact that these women were being rude.

_...Fall for...?_

Will didn't have much time to process the words as he latched onto the fact that Ron had asked them to leave. He adjusted his glasses.

"I never said I minded his associations with ladies, as should be obvious by the fact that I am the one who made arrangements for the three of you to see him. What I mind is your blatant disregard to his comfort. You state that I am uncaring but you do not seem to care enough to be respectful of his requests. Now, listen to him. Please."

He was still trying his best to be polite and kept his tone even, but it was hard to not try and talk down to these women. They were behaving poorly and admonishing them was the best course of action, but if taken the wrong way, things could get ugly. The last thing Will wanted was this to turn into a fight. The stress would be terrible for Ron.

The girls looked between the two men, "I don't think he's right for you." Melissa muttered, standing up.

"He'll ruin you…so controlling." Agreed Loraine.

"You wouldn't have ever minded us fawning over you before." Said Theresa as they all stood up.

"I think I know him a little better than you girls do. Remember, I asked you to leave, he let you in. Please go." Ronald said.

The three turned and walked out of the room, shooting William glares as they passed him.

William sighed heavily after the women left, not at all phased by their glares.

"My apologies. I did not mean to stir up trouble," he said as he moved to sit at Ron's side.

Ronald shook his head slowly, "I expected them to flirt a little…but I didn't expect all that." He said, shifting his position in the bed slightly and readjusting his pillows to lean against them and look at William, "I'm sorry you had to see that and get jealous."

"Flirting would have been acceptable, but their insistence was infuriating. Such a lack of respect-!"

William stopped himself before he went off on a rant.

"I do hope they are not always like that. Or do you normally allow them to fawn over you in such a way?"

"Are you kidding? The moment a girl gets clingy is a hint that I need to stop taking them out for the evening…Which means I have quite a few ladies I have to avoid because they are a little crazy or angry…"

"I can understand how you would wish to avoid...that," William said with a nod before going into his own thoughts. The way Ron dismissed it made him wonder what it was he'd done differently to not scare the younger reaper off. William was not the "clingy" type by any stretch of the imagination, but it made him wonder just what Ron's tolerance was for people. He'd been able to take what the ladies had said without questioning himself, but those simple words from Ron made him feel a bit...unsure. What if Ron decided William was too much in one way or another? Could he be dismissed just as easily?

The look on William's face made Ronald frown, "…do you think that I was a bit harsh with them? I mean…normally I let them down easier than that, but this time I had a legitimate reason to do so that they knew about, and was not just my fear of…trusting someone to get closer again. So I thought being firm about it was the better option this time…"

"No, I quite agree with you. They were being unreasonable despite both our attempts to be polite. I would have spoken my mind more had it not been for the fact that they are your friends and we work together. If they attempt to start anything, I will deal with it accordingly," he said, reaching out to take Ron's hand gently, stroking his fingers over his knuckles.

It was unfair of him to think Ron might push him away when he'd done nothing of the sort since they'd decided to be a couple. It was a matter of trust, and if Ron could invest it in him, he could invest it in Ron.

"I will also be sure to screen visitors more efficiently. The only reason I even considered those three was because they seemed so legitimately worried...and they started crying," William muttered, a little ashamed of himself for falling for that trick.

Ronald laughed, "I really don't consider them 'friends' exactly. More acquaintances. But I can't blame you for falling for that. They have cried before to get me to take them on what they called a date. I hate seeing ladies cry…though, I admit…after hearing what they said about you, some part of me is hoping they are upset that I kicked them out…The fact that you let them come see me is proof enough that you are not 'cold' and your slight display of jealousy is more than enough to show them that you are not 'emotionless.' They really started to make me mad…" he slowly sat up straighter, giving a small groan when his lower back protested, but otherwise ignored it, "Of course, I do know a little more about you than just what you show of yourself at work…maybe it's just easier for me to see the small changes of emotion on your face because of it…" he reached over and pulled William a little closer so he could plant a small kiss on the man's cheek.

"Was I really that obvious?" William laughed softly unable to not smile as Ron gave him a kiss. "I am not the possessive type...I don't believe. Not in a controlling way. I might have even accepted it if they'd at least received your permission first. I was mostly opposed to them ignoring your requests."

He looked away as a small blush crept over the bridge of his nose. "But a small part of it was simply I did not like seeing them all over you."

"I don't mind you getting jealous…as long as you don't get controlling…because based on just now…it was a cute little reminder that you do have real feelings for me." He rested back against his pillows, "Don't worry, I don't plan to abuse it. I don't believe someone should purposely try to make their significant other jealous."

"I would not think you would be the type to behave that way anyway," William said reaching out to wipe away the smear of lipstick Loraine had left on Ron's cheek. "This shade doesn't suit you at all."

He stood to help fluff Ron's pillows and sat again.

"I'm glad to see you are sitting up on your own now. Have there been any other developments?"

Ronald rubbed his cheek to get any remaining lipstick off him, scowling slightly, "Uhg, They know I don't like it when they do that…" he muttered, seeing a pale pink residue of lipstick on the sleeve of his hospital gown. He sighed and smiled at William, "Not yet. But I sure as hell made Doctor Knapp stumble back when he walked in this morning and found me sitting up. Said he didn't expect me to be able to for another week at least. He said he is going to give me two days and then will start on physical Therapy for my upper body…try to help my movements be less shaky and slow. As it is I have to stop and think about doing things as simple as bringing a spoon up to my mouth and not spill my soup all over my lap. So I, for one, am anxious to start."

"I knew you would recover quickly. You were never one to lag behind much, and as you said before, staying still is not your favorite activity. Still, I think such progress deserves a reward."

William leaned over the blond, took his face in his hands and kissed him gently. When he pulled away he snorted and laughed softly.

"You're ruining me, Knox," he said with a smile.

Ronald blushed, but gave a cocky grin, "Am I? Oh how dare I ruin the infamous William T. Spears." He slowly reached up to cup his cheek, "And I don't even feel guilty about it. How messed up am I?"

"There is no reason for you to feel guilty. Change is...good, or so I was told endlessly by my sister and so I've been discovering myself," William said as he grinned and pressed a kiss to Ron's lips then moved to sit again. "Mary would have liked you quite a bit just for being remorseless for that."

"Well, I try." He grinned, "And how is Mary number two?" he asked curiously, "She trip you up yet with that cane of yours?"

"She is quite fine and normally stays out from underfoot."

* * *

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

Grell pursed his lips into a thin line as he marched down the hall of the dispatch building, his heels clanking loudly on the tiled floor. Without pausing to knock, he burst into William's office and walked over to his desk, leaning over it, " _Tell_ me it isn't true!"

William looked up from his paperwork and adjusted his glasses, none too happy about the sudden and loud intrusion.

"That entirely depends on what 'it' is, Sutcliff," he said with a quirked eyebrow. "Please clarify."

"Oh come on! _Even_ _you_ must have heard it! It's all over the office!" the redhead said, straightening up, he pointed at William, accusingly, "You and _Ronnie_ of course!"

"What about us, Sutcliff?" William asked, still seeming quite unamused. He _had_ heard whispers and noticed the glances his way lately as he made his rounds. Not to mention Loraine and Melissa had a juvenile habit of shooting him dirty glares when he passed them. He paid no heed to any of it. Acknowledging such behavior would only make it worse. Work was no place to air personal grievances or information, really. Though, he had also been somewhat dreading Grell discovering it...partly because Will knew the redhead would make a big deal out of it, and partially because he wasn't sure how it might affect his or Ron's relationship with Grell. Will did not always get along with Grell, but he did not hate him. He was actually the closest thing William had to a friend, even if it was a very strange friendship.

The red reaper rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "You _know_ what I mean, Will…You may act like you are oblivious to this kind of thing, But I know better than that…Are you and Ronnie… _together_?"

"This is neither the appropriate time or place to discuss personal matters," William said as he stood and walked over to the door to close it, not wanting people passing by to overhear. "But I know you will not let this go until you have an answer."

The red reaper would either get his answer now from William, or he would bother Ron for answers later, and Will decided the best course of action was just to tell him now. He turned to Grell and gave him the most neutral expression possible. "The answer is yes," he said calmly, keeping his tone even. "Ronald and I are in a relationship."

Grell's eyes widened, his folded arms dropping to his sides, his bare knees seemed to shake slightly before he lowered himself onto the edge of William's Desk, a look of devastation crossing his face, "All this time…" he looked down, "I waited all this time…and you find someone else…" He looked back up, "What did I do wrong?"

William had been expecting screaming and yelling, but Grell's subdued response was more real than anything he could have imagined. He was objectively aware that Grell had genuine feelings for him, but to hear the pain in his voice was difficult.

"I...don't know," William said softly, at a loss for words.

Grell stood up, walking to the door silently, not even glancing at William. He reached out and opened the door, "I have a collection to see to… _Sir_." He said, stressing the title before walking out and slamming the door shut behind him, the hinges cracking from the force.

William wasn't sure how else that could have gone, but Grell was understandably unhappy with him. Perhaps he should have said something else, but he'd been so taken aback by the redhead's soft words that he'd been at a loss. Why had Grell waited for him? William had flat out turned him down on countless occasions, and at least twice they had been clear, concise, and painfully serious. Still, even then, Grell hadn't shown so much...vulnerability. Perhaps now because there was someone else in the picture, the red reaper had no choice but to accept reality.

It wasn't William's problem. It really wasn't. But it still bothered him.

He looked at the stack of reports waiting on his desk to be filed, looked at the door with its cracked hinges and decided to go after the redhead. Normally he would just leave Grell to fume on his own, but being around Ron had made Will more...aware...and he thought this was something that required further...something. He had no idea what possessed him or what he intended to say, but he went after Grell.

In reality, Grell didn't have a collection for another few hours, and the more that he thought about loosing William to Ronald, the angrier he got. He grabbed his chainsaw and left the dispatch building, walking towards the gates that lead to London. His plan was to go bother a particular demon enough to start a fight so he could blow off some steam before he did something he regretted…but the gates were right next to the Infirmary. His march slowed to a stop as he looked at the doors that would lead him to his junior…the kid who had taken William from him…

He knew he shouldn't take another step closer to the doors of that building…that the younger reaper was in fact healing from very serious wounds…but the battle between what he knew he should do, and what he wanted to do was overwhelming.

Checking the schedule for the day to see where Sutcliff was headed; Will saw that he did not have any assignments for a couple of hours. That wasn't a surprise. Grell had just wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible. So where had he gone to? He wasn't in the office from what he could tell, so perhaps he'd gone ahead to relieve some stress as he was apt to do when upset.

William headed out of the building quickly, hoping to catch the redhead before he got too far. He still wasn't sure what he would say, but he hurried toward the London gate to see if perhaps he might still be on his way out. What William hadn't been expecting was to see Grell in the distance paused in front of the infirmary.

What the hell was he doing?

Grell Scowled and pointed with his chainsaw at the doors, "This is all your fault! You have some explaining to do when I get back without the urge to set you back in healing for another three weeks!" he yelled and turned on his heel towards the gate. That was good…he had managed to do the right thing, despite his emotions…William would be proud—no…that didn't matter anymore…

William still tried to catch up to Grell as best he could with his limp. He watched in horror as Grell raised his chainsaw and for a moment thought the redhead was going to charge into the infirmary and possibly go after Ron. He honestly never would have thought Grell would do such a thing since he was so fond of his junior, but he did have a very volatile temper and was apt to act without thinking.

Will's initial reaction was to reach for his backup scythe, but Grell's yelled words made him pause. Apparently the redhead was just blowing of some steam and from the way he walked away, he apparently had control of his temper. That was a good sign.

"Sutcliff!" William called after him, still making his way towards the red reaper despite his ankle protesting from the quick pace.

Grell turned his head to look back, but continued to walk, "…Spears." He reached the gate and stepped through to Mortal London before something made him pause to wait for William. A lingering hope that the man would say he made a mistake, somehow? Say he was going to leave Ronald? He doubted it. That wasn't the kind of man William was. But he waited all the same.

He wasn't sure if Grell had any intention of stopping, but he didn't slow his pace and caught up to him, "Sutcli- Grell," William corrected as he approached the awaiting redhead. "I understand that you are...upset, but if you would like to talk later, I will make arrangements." Perhaps it wasn't fair to Grell to keep dragging it out like this, but William wanted to make sure he would be all right. He may not have cared about Grell in a romantic way, but they had known each other for a very long time and had a strange bond. It just felt wrong to ignore it. If Grell wanted no part of it, then that was it. There wouldn't be anything else Will could do.

Grell sighed, " _Is_ there anything left to talk about between us?" His voice was low, like the deadly calm before a storm. Then his voice started to rise as he continued, "I Fell for you hard, you know. Back in our last days at the academy. Despite everything, it was _you_ I wanted to be with. I tried so many things! I even used a demon to try and make you jealous and realize your feelings for me! I ignored _every_ hurtful word! Every physical blow, every _rejection_ you threw at me! I kept coming back for more in hopes that you would change your mind…and then Ron…That _kid_ shows up and does— _Rhea knows what_ , and you fall for him! Neither of you say a word about it either! Persephone's tears, That's cold. Even for you that's cold! You both knew how I felt! And I don't even get a heads up that you two are starting to get close? I had to wait and hear it from the gossiping secretaries? Do you hate me so much that I don't even warrant the truth?" he was screaming at this point, using his chainsaw to point accusingly, "How'd you think I'd feel about this? Did you think I'd be fine and skip off to the next handsome guy who walked by? Did you think I wouldn't have cared that the kid I saw as a little brother stole the man I wanted so dearly to marry one day?"

William narrowed his eyes and spoke lowly, taking Grell's tirade a coldly as ever, "You knew there was no chance, Grell. I told you as much several times, but you refused to listen. I may not have always been kind to you over the years, but once I realized you were in fact serious, _**never**_ did I give you hope I would change my mind. Whatever torch you carry for me, you do so of your own accord based on your own perceptions."

He would not apologize for that. If Grell wanted to have false hope, that was his problem. William had made himself clear on countless occasions; "What happened between Ron and I was just as surprising to us. We barely knew each other, and then in the course of an evening we somehow bonded and decided to try a relationship. Neither of us were searching for such a thing. And the very next day, he was attacked," William's voice fell slightly and he had to pause to swallow hard. Surprisingly, thinking about the incident, though it had been a while since then, hurt a bit. He cleared his throat and started again. "Since then, my priority has been him with little thought as to who to tell about us. The only reason the secretaries knew is because they were being too forward in my presence. It was an accident they found out and they maliciously started spreading the news. It was not personal, Grell. If I hated you, I would have let you leave without a second thought, but because you and I have a history, I wanted to make sure you would be all right. I have never abandoned you before, and I am not about to now."

"Well." The redhead crossed his arms, "Perhaps you should have been more obvious and let a difference show between your normally cold attitude, and the fact that I _never_ had a chance. It could have saved me one hundred years. Now, if you'll excuse me…" he turned and started walking again, making no attempt to hide the fact that he was heading to the phantomhive estate.

"I _did_ ," William snapped, his own voice started to gain volume as his anger bubbled over. It just proved that Grell had been unable to see William for himself, just like everyone else...whereas Ron could tell the difference between his emotions without really trying. And why was that? Because Ron took him for what he was. Grell didn't and hadn't for all the time they'd known each other, "That right there, Sutcliff, is why we never would have worked! You have such preconceived notions of my behavior that you could not see past what you expected to see! You fell in love with who you saw, not who I _am_!"

The direction Grell took did not escape his notice and it only made him angrier. He never abandoned Grell when he was in need because he considered him the closest thing to friend he'd ever had. But now the redhead was purposely seeking out a fight, making no effort to hide his intent and all likely out of spite, "If you want to go take it out on that parasite, then by all means, go," Will snarled. "If it's the cold William T. Spears you expect, then I'll not let a little sentimentality dictate my actions this time. You're on your own."

William glared angrily before turning on his heel and walking away, his limp significantly more pronounced because the rush to get to Grell had twisted it a little.

* * *

 

"I didn't know you were even into men, Ronnie." Vivian teased as she checked Ronald's bandages and tested the feeling in his legs to see if anything had changed. Word of Ronald's relationship with William had spread over to the other buildings, and the nurse had been quick to cut to the subject when she reached Ronald's room.

Ronald shrugged, "It's not really something that mattered until n-OW!" He flinched as the needle the nurse was using to test his legs hit a nerve, and he felt pain in his leg for the first time, but just in that one spot.

Vivian grinned, "Well, that's some good news for you. A sign at least that you are not paralyzed. But this explains why the man comes by every day to see you. I was starting to wonder if the man had a crush on you."

"Well, I should hope he does!" Ronald grinned, flinching again as the needle found another spot in his legs that had regained feeling.

"Well I think you two make a cute couple. But I guess this means I won't get that date you kept avoiding."

After walking halfway back to the office, William detoured back to the infirmary, still fuming about what had just transpired between himself and Grell. His ankle was throbbing badly and gave him sharp pains with every step. He wondered if he'd injured it again and set back his own recovery, which made him wonder why he had been so stupid as to rush after the redhead. He decided to have it looked at once again, get some pain medicine before he had to go out into the field himself, and while he was at it he could pay a quick visit to Ron and warn him about what had happened.

He limped up to Ron's room first, hoping maybe to catch one of the nurses there and was not at all surprised to see Vivian attending to Ron. He knocked lightly to get the nurse's attention to make sure he wasn't interrupting anything.

"I hope I am not intruding, but I need to sit quite badly," he said before limping in. He was unable to put any more weight on his foot and sat heavily with a sigh, "And how is the patient today?" he asked, leaning forward on his cane.

"Well, speak of the devil." Vivian giggled, moving around to Ronald's other leg and started the same procedure.

"You're here early…did something happen?" Ronald asked, then frowned, looking down at William's ankle, "Did you—OW! You did that one harder on purpose, Vivian!" he scowled.

"Showing off your progress to your lover." She giggled with a shrug, and then looked at William, "He's regained some feeling in his upper legs."

William tried to look nonchalant as a slight blush creeping over his nose. Calling them "lovers" implied a lot more than what they were, but news of their relationship seemed to have seeped over to the infirmary as was inevitable. Still, he wasn't sure how to acknowledge it, so instead he focused on Ron.

"It's excellent that you are making such progress, Ron. You will be back on your feet soon enough," he said with an assuring nod. "I came for two reasons. One, I have some private information I must share with you. Two, I need my ankle examined, though I am reluctant to allow Miss Vivian to do it as she seems to like inflicting pain," he said, giving the nurse in question a raised eyebrow.

"Only if you're cute." She grinned, starting to wrap Ronald's legs back up carefully. His skin still was an angry red from contact with the Hostile Soul, "But if you insist I be gentle, I'm capable."

"You can be such a sadist, Vivian…" Ronald smirked.

"And proud!" she grinned, "Did you do anything to irritate your ankle, or did it just start getting worse?" she asked, turning her attention to William.

"Fortunately I do not fit such criteria. Though I can tolerate pain, this is sharper than it's been since the initial injury. I believe I twisted it hurrying after someone," he said reaching down to unlace and remove his shoe.

"Oh, I don't know. You may not be my type, but you are cute." She winked, kneeling down to examine his ankle, "Well, it is quite swollen… I may have to take some X-rays to make sure things are still healing properly on the inside…" she got up and walked out of the room, returning a moment later with an ice pack, "Keep it elevated and cold until I can get a machine signed out. It may take a while. We had a few people come in that had had a run-in with a demon. I hope you do not have to be somewhere in a hurry. I don't want you up and about until we get a good idea what is going on under that swelling." She said, handing him the pack and turning to head out the door, "I'll be back as soon as I get a machine. Go ahead and have your private chat. Just don't go getting _too_ excited, you two." She winked.

Ronald chuckled after they were left alone with the door closed, "You know, I'm starting to like her more and more. I wish the other three had been as accepting as she is."

William's brow furrowed, "What is it with you people calling me 'cute' lately?" he shook his head and kept his foot elevated with the ice pack atop it as ordered. He wasn't due in the field for another couple of hours as he was taking over an evening shift. The paperwork in his office could wait, or he could take it home with him if it came to it. He might as well get his daily visit in with Ron now, "Yes, she seems to be quite a bit more tolerant. Unlike everyone else, save Sling- Eric," William corrected himself and sighed. "Sutcliff knows now, too. And he was extremely unhappy about it." Wiliam's lips twisted in a bit of a scowl as the thought of Grell started bringing anger to the surface again.

Ronald's smile faded quickly, "…should I fear for my life? How bad was it?" He shivered at the thought of having to face the redhead. He worked closely under him, and knew first hand how bad his temper could get in the right situations. He tended to be quite blood-thirsty as well. And knowing how obsessed the man was with William, he knew that this would most likely be one of those times that the flamboyant reaper would be out for blood.

He hadn't really thought about Grell's reaction when he and William had gotten together, and in reality, he probably should have told Grell the truth the morning after when he had seen him to turn in a few morning reports…a thought he hadn't had until now.

Will shook his head and sighed yet again, speaking calmly, "He's out for blood, but not yours. That maniac is going after the Phantomhive pet again, I think. I tried to talk reasonably with him, but he started screaming and carrying on...and unfortunately, I lost my temper as well. He was hurt that I'd chosen someone that wasn't him though I have made it clear to him over the years I did and would not see him that way."

William's tone picked up a little more anger, "Despite that, he still attempted to blame me for his undying emotions. But he seemed more hurt that he found out through the office gossip rather than us, seemingly not caring that he did not get the information as we were focused on you being nearly killed. I tired to tell him it wasn't personal.

"He's always been so selfish and petulant! I couldn't tolerate it anymore and left him to his tantrum. Let him run off and get smacked around! Maybe Michaelis will knock some bloody sense into that stubborn head of his," William practically spat as he scowled and crossed his arms.

Ronald shifted himself over to the side of the bed and reached out to grab William's hand, pulling it to his lips and pressing a kiss to it, "Calm down, love, there is no point dwelling on it if he is going to go take out his emotions on Michaelis. And you have enough stress to worry about, just being a supervisor who is short on staff." He flashed a cheery smile to lighten the mood.

The combination of the kiss, the pet name, and the smile made Will's irritation melt away almost instantaneously.

"I apologize. I did not mean to go off on a tirade. I will handle Sutcliff," he said softly, squeezing Ron's hand.

He moved closer and reached out with his free hand to gently touch the side of Ron's thigh where he'd seen Vivian prodding him.

"It is very good news that you are improving more. Can you feel this, or is it only very specific sensations?"

"Very slightly, but I feel it." Ronald blushed, suddenly remembering when William had accidentally grabbed his leg in nearly that same spot when he was in that short skirt.

A smile curved his lips as William kept gently touching the side of Ron's thigh, thinking nothing of it, too absorbed in the good news to think of propriety. He looked up to the blond with a small grin, "At least we know that-"

Then he noticed Ron's blush and realized just how familiar he was being. He hadn't thought twice of reaching out and touching the younger reaper, which he supposed was both a good thing and a bad thing. Will was not one for physical contact with others, with the exception of dancing, but Ron had been a huge exception to more casual touches. William practically craved touching him, though since the first night of their relationship, all contact had been very platonic. But, still, reaching out and touching someone's thigh, no matter how innocent the intent, would be a little more intimate than holding someone's hand. He pulled away his hand as if it'd been burned, "Apologies!" he said quickly. "I was just- I hadn't been thinking."

"N-no, it's not that…I mean…I don't….mind….I was just thinking about….something else, and…." He was stumbling over his words so he paused to take a deep breath, blushing harder and adverting his eyes, "I wasn't….opposed to your touch…" he admitted. In fact, he had enjoyed it. Partially because he could actually feel it, but mostly because it was William. He had gotten the feeling that the man wasn't really the kind who reached out to touch people often; especially to show affection. And he had, quite a few times, noticed William make a move that suggested that he wanted to reach out to him, but always stopped himself unless he knew before hand that the action would be welcomed. The fact that William would choose such an intimate spot to take such a risk, even if he hadn't been thinking, spoke volumes to Ronald. Not knowing what else to say, he leaned over to take William's hand again and gave is a weak squeeze, his fingers not allowing for much strength in their current state.

William stared at the hand in his own for a moment before bringing it up to his lips to return the kiss Ron had given him earlier. His words had been assuring but the gesture was touching. Though Ron was still weak from his recovery he offered his hand without question, without hesitation, giving comfort and acceptance.

"How are you able to say the best thing possible without saying anything at all?" William said with a soft laugh, running his thumb over Ron's knuckles.

_Is this what it's like to fall in-_

But William didn't get to finish the thought as Vivian returned. He almost dropped Ron's hand, but instead smiled softly and kept hold of it. She already knew, so what was the harm in her seeing?

Ronald had opened his mouth to respond, but fell silent when the nurse returned.

"Lucky you. I managed to snatch one of these things quickly!" she announced and rolled it over next to William before looking at them, a grin spreading her thin lips, "Oh I do hope I'm not interrupting something terribly romantic."

"N-no, we were just…talking…" Ronald said, hiding his blush by looking away from her.

"Ah! But talking can sometimes be the most romantic of activities!" she said, leaning over and poking the blond's cheek, "But! Either way you two are adorable, holding hands like that. Oh!" she pointed accusingly at William, "But just because you are a cute couple doesn't mean you can get away with anything! I expect you to take care of him!"

"I will do so when necessary. Most of the time he is quite capable on his own, but I do intend to take care of him as best I can," William said with a nod, turning to allow her access to his foot, "You are taking this better than most, Miss Vivian. Thank you."

"Ah, how cute…you are not used to this kind of thing at all, are you?" She laughed, setting up the machine for use, "I know he is capable of taking care of himself. I meant his heart. Just as he needs to do the same for you." She paused and looked at the two blushing men and gave them a soft smile, "Well, go ahead and move your ankle here so I may stop embarrassing you two and actually do my job!"

"What makes you think I did not mean his heart as well?" William asked matter-of-factly though his eyes were trained on Ron's, but his serious tone was betrayed by the small smile on his lips and the blush growing brighter on his face. He looked down as he tried to suppress his smile and moved over to the machine as ordered, following Vivian's instructions.

William's response, and the way he gave it made Ronald blush all the harder. Damn it, when had things been turned around for him? For so long he had been the one to make people blush. It was his words that made the ladies swoon…and now he felt like one of those girls, feeling light-hearted and excited to hear such words while being under such a caring gaze. There was no doubt left in his mind, there was no room left for it; he had fallen in love, and the fall was quick and hard, yet so far, painless.

Vivian got to work quickly on William's ankle, and then she started to wheel out the machine, "I'll be back with the results momentarily, Mister Spears." She said as she left.

Ronald breathed a sigh and turned his gaze onto William, "How long do you think we have before she comes back?"

William loved the way Ron blushed more at his words. It was something so simple to say, and though it had been slightly more difficult to say than he let on; he certainly meant it. He wasn't sure how to handle another's heart as he'd never had experience before, but as long as he could keep Ronald happy, he figured he'd do alright. He settled back more comfortably in his chair and looked over at Ron with a raised eyebrow, resting his hand on the bed, "How should I know? Perhaps a few minutes, perhaps an hour? I'm not quite sure how these things work. Why?"

Knowing his movements were annoyingly slow as he had to think about it as he moved, the blond started to lean forward to close the distance between them before he spoke, "Because of this…" he said in a soft tone before reaching out to pull the reaper into a kiss, daringly moving his lips more passionately against his, rather than the small peck-like kisses they had been sneaking once in a while since he had awoken after his surgery.

_Oh._

William smiled against Ron's lips as he leaned in to make things a little easier. He brought his hand up to cup Ron's cheek as he returned the kiss enthusiastically. Will didn't realize how much he'd missed this until he had it again. It wasn't as if his desire for the blond had faded, it just hadn't been as important in light of his condition. But his sweet and passionate gesture made William very much aware of it again.

The angle was a little awkward, so, without breaking the kiss, Will moved out of the chair to sit on the edge of the bed. It wouldn't do to let Ronald strain himself over a kiss, so he leaned further into Ron to push him back against his pillows as he parted his lips to twine their tongues together and kiss the other gently but hungrily.

The blond's lips twitched upward slightly as he felt himself being guided back against the pillows, and he slid his arms around William's shoulders, weakly hugging him closer. He didn't really know why he had suddenly gotten the urge to pull William into a kiss, but after what William had said, he wasn't going to fight it. And he certainly wasn't regretting it. The last time they had shared a more passionate kiss, he had still been drunk, and now he could fully enjoy the sensation of William's kiss, the taste of his lips, the caress of his tongue…even the soft sound of a moan that William coaxed from him, muffled slightly as the sound was caught between their mouths.

The sound of Ron's soft moan sent a shiver running down Will's spine. Naturally, he wanted to put his arms around the blond and hold him tight, but he had to make a conscious effort not to get carried away. Ron was still injured and recovering and probably wouldn't appreciate being put back in his progress because of Will being overenthusiastic...but it felt so good to touch him and kiss him again. Rather than embrace him, William gently traced one hand down Ron's neck to caress over his side while the other moved over his cheek to thread fingers into his hair, still kissing him seemingly endlessly. He smirked against Ron's lips as his fingers traced through blond locks to his hair line and tugged on that oh-so-stubborn curl to see if there would be a reaction.

Immediately, Ronald's body stiffened and twitched somewhat painfully, but the pleasure that shot through his body overwhelmed the pain from his involuntary twitch, his mouth gaped open wider to let out an erotic gasp-like squeak around their entwined tongues, and his fingers weakly grasped the fabric of William's suit jacket.

 _That was a very_ _ **good**_ _reaction._ William let out his own quiet moan at Ron's reaction. He knew that twitch had to have hurt, but it was better than crushing the younger reaper to his chest and possibly doing a lot more damage. He twirled the curl of hair around his finger a few more times before releasing it with a soft laugh against Ron's lips. He moved his hand to cup the back of Ron's head and pull him into an even deeper kiss.

How cruel this was; William had to know what he was doing to Ronald; his gasps and moans hid nothing of that. Ronald really wouldn't have minded, except for the fact that they were in the Medical ward, Vivian could return at any moment, and he was healing so doing much more than kissing would probably not be the best thing for him, even if his lustful desires were being brought closer to the surface with every stroke and pull to his particularly sensitive curl. It was a loosing battle as he was sucked deeper into the kiss, letting himself get lost in the feel of soft lips, the sounds of their moans and glasses clicking against each other… His hands slid down William's chest and over his stomach to his hips, his thumbs teasingly hooking inside the waistline of his pants.

William was honestly surprised that Ron had the desire to be so passionate, but he certainly wasn't disappointed. Though he'd only experienced a taste of his drive when the man was drunk, he'd liked it very much then, too. If his reactions and sounds were this erotic when he was injured; William wondered what he would be like fully healed and sober. And he quite looked forward to it…He gasped feeling Ron's hands wandering down to his pants. Oh, he wanted to, he truly did, now that Ron had made him aware and hungry again, but they couldn't right now. Not here. Not when they could risk hurting his young boyfriend. He reluctantly broke the kiss, taking Ron's hands in his own, and looked at the other with dazed eyes as he cleared his throat:

"Well, that is certainly something else to look forward to after your recovery," he said a little shakily while smirking. He was obviously still quite affected as he rubbed thumbs over Ron's knuckles.

Ronald was still blushing brightly, his breathing short gasps that feathered from his lips which were tingling from the kiss, "Completely your fault that I want to right now…" he gave a small pout caused half by William pulling away and breaking the kiss, and half because of the hardened bulge hidden under his blanket.

"I'm glad we both agree this is a good idea," William said with a smirk and a quirked eyebrow. "But it is not _entirely_ my fault." He reached up as if to toy with the curl of hair again but instead stroked his hair and cupped the back of his head once more to pull him into a soft kiss, "I will be sure to make amends," he laughed softly.

"Wouldn't matter so much if I was at least able to move my bloody legs…" The blond scowled, shooting a glare at his immobile legs, once again feeling like he was healing way too slowly. He looked back up at William and sighed, reaching up to run his fingers over his cheek, then he smirked, grabbing onto the rectangle frames and pulling them from his face.

"It's more than just your legs, Ron. Let's not forget that the wrong movement causes you pain," William said, placing a hand atop Ron's thigh. "And if you are gaining feeling already, then movement isn't too far behind." He was going to press into Ron's touch, but the blonde removed his glasses. He wiggled his nose and blinked as everything went fuzzy in his vision, "What are you doing?" William asked with a raised eyebrow. Had it been anyone else, he would have snatched his glasses back as he didn't like being blind; but he knew he was safe with Ron.

"I don't know…Just an urge, I guess…" Ronald muttered, taking off his own glasses and slipping William's on to see just how bad his sight was. After the time they had worked together and the demon Sebastian Michaelis had knocked William's glasses from his face; leaving the reaper helplessly blind, Ronald had been curious as to William's sight.

The blond blinked in surprise, "You really over-react when you lose your glasses…our prescription is nearly the same…"

"I am quite defensive about my glasses. It used to be because of protocol, but I think my particular sensitivity is left over from when I was a boy. I had to save for years to afford a pair so I took very good care of them."

He picked up Ron's glasses curiously and slipped them on noting that Ron was right. There was very little difference in prescription, but the frames felt strange. He wasn't used to something resting on his cheeks, but he couldn't help but laugh a little at Ron wearing his frames.

Ronald laughed, "They…don't quite suit you. Definitely clash with your professionally neat hair." He grinned, feeling the glasses slide down his nose slightly and he pushed them back up, not used to having to constantly adjust glasses, as his hugged his face and hardly move at all. "I didn't need glasses as a human…it took some getting used to having bad eyesight."

"My vision wasn't nearly this bad, nor my hair this short and neatly styled," William said with a soft smile. Ron mentioning his mortal self piqued Will's interest again. Though Ron did not seem overly fond of speaking of his past, perhaps he'd be willing to share neutral subjects. "Has your hair always been this way?" he asked, reaching out to tuck a few stray strands behind the blond's ear.

"Yeah…Brother had two-toned hair too…" Ronald said in a preoccupied voice before reaching up and running both hands through William's hair, pulling it down over his forehead and making it look more natural rather than slicked back. He grinned, "Looks a little better…still not quite William T. Spears though."

"Really? That's a very unusual characteristic-" William paused and frowned slightly, "I have to go back to work, you know," he groused, though he didn't reach up to fix it. "If I wear my hair like this, I look too young and no one takes a young supervisor seriously."

"I would, Sir!" Ronald said as he suppressed a grin and saluted him, "And you still look older than I do. Hell, you look good with your hair down. I'm sure if you yell 'Pay cut!' or 'Overtime!' at people, they will still take you seriously." He said, deepening his voice and doing the best serious imitation of William he could.

"I look older than you because I _am_ older than you. By quite a bit, I imagine…" He looked at Ron with a raised eyebrow during his imitations, "Playing that game, are we?" he said with a neutral expression and tone, "Hey ladies! Let's grab a drink!" William suddenly blurted out in a peppy tone; striking Ron's classic cheerful pose with a bright smile, then went into an exaggerated pout. "Overtime again, senpai?" Then instantly went back to his own normally neutral look as if nothing had happened, but a ghost of a smile twitched the corner of his lips.

Ronald frowned, adjusting the glasses on his face with an irritated sigh, "That is hardly necessary, Mister Knox. Now please settle down and return to your work before overtime is necessary." He had a hard time stopping the corners of his mouth twitch up into a smile until he could no longer hold it and he grinned. "Though overtime _could_ be fun once in a while…" he winked.

Impressed by Ron's dedication to the role, William couldn't help but try and step up one more time; "You've gotta learn to relax, senpai," William said taking up Ron's tone again, moving to lace his fingers behind his head, but he couldn't complete the motion before he cracked up and had to cover his mouth to not laugh too loudly, "Oh, for the love of Styx, I must look ridiculous!" he chuckled into his hand and it took him a little while to sober up from the quiet laughter. Eventually, it died off, and he cleared his throat, "Speaking of overtime, I wonder where Miss Vivian had gone to. If I don't report in soon, I'll have to work all night."

"Oh, darn! Does that mean the show is over?" Vivian's voice interrupted,. The nurse was leaning in the doorway, her arms folded as she hugged a folder to her chest.

Ronald blushed, "Viv…hey…uh…how…how long have you been standing there?"

"Since you both agreed that 'this' was a good idea." She grinned shamelessly.

It took a moment for the words to process and William had the decency to blush when he realized what she'd overheard...at least she had caught them at the _end_ and he was especially glad he'd held himself back, Will looked over his shoulder and attempted to smooth his hair back into place, "Then you missed some of the best parts, Miss Vivian," he said softly with a small smile as he moved to sit back in his chair. "Has there been a diagnosis?"

"Indeed. You two are more than adorable." She winked, "But I can't say the same for your ankle."

"…How can an ankle be 'adorable?" Ronald asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean in good and bad news." She walked over to them and opened the file, "I'm afraid you more than twisted it, Mister Spears, You strained it too much and the hair-line fractures that were part of the initial injury, have grown up, rather than healed over. You have three serious fractures. I am afraid I must insist that you do not stand or put any weight on your ankle for at least a week, and at the end of the week I want to take a look at it again. I had a doctor look at your X-rays and he had written a letter requiring you to not partake in field work until your ankle is healed."

William sighed, disappointed in himself for losing yet another field worker because of his own stupidity. He had really been hoping he'd only misaligned something, but he should have known from the pain alone that, that wasn't the case, "I was afraid of that. Does it require a cast and crutches?"

"Only if you can't keep yourself off it." She said, "So you tell me, should I have crutches sent down for you? Right now nothing has shifted so we don't have to realign anything, but how good are you on following orders? The only walking you should be doing is between home and the office…But I think I can over look your daily visit to Ronnie if you two continue to be adorable together." She offered a small smile.

William thought about that objectively for a moment. It would be a terrible hassle to carry around crutches but he also knew if he didn't have them, he might be tempted to ignore the nurse's orders and make it even worse. He sighed, "If it will only be for a week, then I'll take the crutches, please," he said irritably. "With the state of the Dispatch at the moment, I am liable to push myself and make things worse yet again if I don't have an embarrassing reminder to _not_ do it." Then he looked at Vivian, "And fractured ankle or not, there is little that could stop me from visiting Ron everyday," he said with a smirk.

"Very well, I'll send for the crutches and once you have them, you may leave…or continue to snog and play around with Ronnie."

"You are a horrible pervert, Viv." Ronald chuckled.

"I try~"

"As tempting as the idea is..." William said with a sly look at Ron. "...I must report back as soon as possible. I am still relatively able-bodied and must make arrangements for someone to cover my share of the evening's collections…And I suppose I should also have someone check on Sutcliff," he added after a moment of thought before shaking his head. He nodded to Vivian in thanks. "Thank you for being so accommodating and supportive, Miss Vivian. It is a welcome change."

* * *

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

Alan sighed and walked out of his office and down the hall to William's office. The door was open so he knocked on the doorframe and stepped in, shuffling through his files he had to deliver, "I have the reports on the—" he looked up and froze, forgetting why he was there, "…so it is true…"

In order to efficiently change around the schedule, Will had to take on the paperwork for three other reapers so they could focus on field work. It was an impressive amount to say the least. He had a mountain to plow through. His wrist ached from all the writing as it, too, was still healing, but it was nothing compared to the constant throb from his ankle. He had it elevated to aid with swelling, but it didn't do much. He was really looking forward to when he could take his pain medication again, but he had one more thing to do that night before he could indulge.

William hadn't seen nor heard from Sutcliff since they'd parted earlier that day, so he could only assume he was alive since there had been no news otherwise. Even though he'd told Grell he was on his own, Will had a nagging need to make sure he was still kicking. He planned on swinging by the redhead's flat once he was through with work to see if he'd at least made it home. Grell would never notice since he never did over the years or if he had, he'd never mentioned it, and if Sutcliff was fine, then William could fall into a drugged stupor in peace.

He looked up from his current report to see Alan staring at him, and the brunet's words finally registered in his distracted and busy mind, "What's true, Humphries?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You…being with Knox…" Alan blinked, raising a hand to point at his own glasses, not knowing if he should mention out loud that William was wearing Ronald's glasses.

Seeing Alan reach up to tap his glasses made William do the same and he suddenly realized why they hadn't been sliding down his nose all evening…and explained why he had been receiving questionable looks all afternoon. In his haste to get back to the office, he'd forgotten to switch glasses with Ronald. His face grew a little warm, but there was no point in getting flustered over it.

He wasn't quite sure how to respond to Alan. They got along fine on a professional level, but people had been turning on Will left and right over this and he didn't know what he should expect. He would never deny it when asked, but he would be cautious, "I don't see how my personal business is suddenly everyone else's, but yes," he said softly, trying not to sound too irritated.

Alan looked down, "Sorry, sir…I didn't mean to pry…It's just…a little surprising is all…" he shook his head and continued forward, "I have the report on Eric's and my collections today for you." He held out the folder he was holding.

"That seems to be the common thought on it," William said with a slight sigh. "I apologize if I seem short on the subject; I have not had the warmest of receptions from all who have heard… Did you hear through the office gossip, or from Sling-I mean, Eric?" he asked as he took the report and thumbed through it.

"Eric isn't one to gossip. I overheard people in the halls talking about it…I'm guessing Grell-senpai was quick to jump on you about the rumors?" The young reaper asked.

"He found out and took it in typical Sutcliff fashion," William said in a neutral tone. "You have not seen or heard from him within the last few hours, have you?"

"No, sir. Though he did not show up for his collection earlier, and I reaped the soul for him. I had wondered why he would not bother showing up for his field work."

As Alan spoke, William's neutral expression gained a pronounced frown before he slowly fell forward onto the thunked his forehead against the top of his desk. It wasn't a Hostile Soul situation since Alan had been able to reap the soul, so that meant Grell had either gone after Michaelis and gotten hurt, had stormed off and went home, or was off doing Hades knew what, just to piss off Will. No matter what it was, William couldn't just let it sit any longer. He bumped his forehead against the wood a couple more times, gritting his teeth and cursing under his breath before sitting up and smoothing his hair back unperturbed.

"Thank you, Alan," he said calmly grabbing his crutches and standing. "That information is very useful. Seeing as Sutcliff made no effort to hide from me the fact that he intended to start a fight with the Phantomhive butler, I am going to make sure he isn't drowning in a pool of his own blood somewhere. We cannot afford to be short yet another reaper in the field. Did you have any other questions or anything else to report before I go?"

"No sir, that's all." Alan said, bowing his head slightly in respect before turning to return to his paperwork, "Don't be too hard on Grell-senpai, I'm sure he's just having some emotional breakdown again…just worse than normal." Alan was Grell's best friend, and he knew how Grell dealt with hurt. He would go after a good fight, then brood to himself for a few hours before dragging Alan out on some shopping trip where he'd treat himself to a few over-priced dresses, and the supportive company of his closest friend.

"I understand that, Alan. I knew he would be upset over this, which was why I wanted to speak with him rationally, but he never gave me the chance. I may not love him the way he wants, but I do care in my own way," he said, hobbling over to the door. He glanced back at the pile of papers on his desk knowing he'd have to come back later that and finish them, but he couldn't in good conscience continue not knowing Grell's status. "Thank you again, Alan," he said with a nod and hobbled off.

After leaving the office, he went straight to Grell's flat and when there was no answer, he let himself in with the spare key the redhead had given him. Of course, it was empty. With a sigh, he set off for mortal London and straight to the Phantomhive estate. Though it was late, he managed to speak to Mr. Michaelis, politely even though there were a few curious glances to the glasses and the crutches, and found that the demon and had never even seen Grell that day. That was a small bit of relief, but the search was still not over. That left the third option open, meaning the red reaper might have gone off on a killing spree, which would give Will a massive bureaucratic headache. The only person who might know if this was the case would be the Undertaker. If there was a sudden explosion of slaughter in the heart of London, the bodies would have gone to him.

It was nearly midnight by the time William arrived at the mortician's door, and though he'd ridden a cab most of the way from the Phantomhive estate, the uneven cobblestones made his crutches dig in uncomfortably for the short walk he'd had to make. He leaned against the door frame and rang the bell hoping he'd finally get an answer.

A long moment passed before the sound of the door being unlocked clicked on the other side and it slowly opened, Grell poking his head out, Undertaker's outer robes draped loosely around him. The redhead blinked in surprise, and scowled, moving to shut the door again.

While William had been _hoping_ Grell might be there, he hadn't expected him to answer the door, and certainly not for him to be wearing the other's clothes. Had he been there all afternoon? And just what had they been doing? Unable to jam his foot in the door, he used a crutch instead while his eyebrow twitched in irritation.

"Grell," he said through clenched teeth, trying desperately to hold onto his temper. "Have you been here all afternoon and evening?"

"Perhaps. Move." The heated redhead said, trying to push the wooden crutch out of the doorframe so he could shut the door.

William's eyebrow continued to twitch in irritation wondering _why_ he'd been letting worry eat at him all day when the redhead had been doing whatever with the mortician. He was exhausted, in pain, and anger kept trying to make it's way out again, but he promised himself he would not lose control this time. He refused to move the crutch, "You're unhurt?" he asked lowly.

"Grell, darling," Undertaker cheerfully called from somewhere out of sight. "If it's dear William, invite him in for a romp. Maybe we can show him what he's been missing out on!"

"Tch." Grell shot one more glare at William before releasing the door and walking away from it out of sight and hopping up onto a coffin, sitting with his legs crossed, the black robes falling off his legs leaving them barely covered, and making it quite obvious he had nothing on under it.

William had intended to leave at that point, but it seemed strange to sit outside an open door. He got off his crutches and hopped sideways through the door to get into the shop before leaning back against the wall next to the door. He was about to give a polite greeting to Undertaker but was interrupted before he could.

"William, you look terrible," Undertaker grinned as he stood, pulling up his trousers but leaving them undone, his hair was tousled, shamelessly looking satisfied as he padded over to the stove, pausing on his way to kiss the top of Grell's head.

It didn't escape William's notice that Grell had been fraternizing all day while Will had been working hard. He _should_ chastise him for skipping work, but something in him said to let it slide for today. He was suffering of a broken heart, and no matter how much William tried to convince himself it wasn't his fault, he wasn't entirely heartless and it bothered him that he'd hurt the redhead. He wasn't sure how to respond to the mortician's comment and decided it was probably best to just state his business.

"I just came to check on-"

"Would you like some tea?" Undertaker interrupted.

William blinked and shook his head.

"No, thank you, sir, I-"

"What is with the glasses, dear William? Are you trying a new look?"

"No, sir, it's-

"Perhaps something to eat, then?" the elder interrupted yet again as he set the kettle on the stove. "You look like you've been going non stop for a while."

"Sir, no, I-"

"I had heard you were injured, but last I knew you were using a cane," Undertaker continued, obviously not caring about interrupting William every time he opened his mouth. "What did you do to your foot to warrant crutches?"

"It was my own fault. I was hurrying after- No, it's not important. I just-"

"Morphine?" Undertaker offered cheerfully.

That was the final straw. William was at his limit for patience and the mention of the blessed drug he wanted so badly made him snap.

"Hel's frigid tit! I just came to make sure Sutcliff wasn't dead because it's been driving me insane all day and he's not, so I'm bloody well going home!" William yelled as he yanked the door open and practically threw himself out the door. He reached in after his crutches and slammed the door after himself with a curt "Good night!"

Undertaker broke out into hysterical laughter.

* * *

 

William had wound up not going home, but instead, spent the night in the office once again, catching up on all the paperwork he'd left behind on his wild goose chase of finding Grell.

He took a quick hour long nap on the sofa in his office but was in a terrible mood when he woke up. A nip of laudanum with his morning coffee helped a bit, but he knew it was going to be a difficult day. He cloistered himself in his office, taking in only reports and handing out assignments until he was blessedly caught up and even managed to get out early. He headed straight for the infirmary, very much needing to see Ron.

Upon arriving at his room, Vivian told him that Ron was currently in physical therapy, suggested that he not interrupt, but pointed him in the direction of the room anyway.

William quietly watched from the doorway, Ron's back to him, and he couldn't help the smile that curled his lips seeing the blond try so hard and do so well, yet the younger reaper was still disappointed. He decided to wait and watch a little longer.

Ronald grit his teeth in frustration as he attempted the simple task for what felt like the millionth time that day. He sat in a wheelchair in the physical therapy room of the infirmary, a single five pound weight sitting on the table in front of him. Such a small light object, yet it taunted him. He slowly reached out once more and curled his fingers around the handle, shakingly, he started to lift it, his arm shaking more and more until the weight was half way up and his fingers gave out, letting it fall back onto the table. "Erhrrrrg!"

Doctor Knapp sighed and pat Ronald on the shoulder, "No one expects you to be able to do it on the first day, Mister Knox. Retraining your body is not an easy task, and it can't be rushed."

"But it's only five pounds!" Ronald complained, adjusting William's glasses on his face once more.

"Perhaps we should leave it here for today." The doctor suggested.

"No! I can do this!"

"I know you are anxious to return to your normal life...but pushing yourself too hard to improve causes stress which sets back your development."

"Not being able to do what should be easy causes stress!" Ronald scowled.

"Which is why I think you should stop for the day. You are frustrated with yourself, so you are trying to push yourself too hard. You should take a break and come back refreshed. It may just make a world of difference. Even what you have managed today has strengthened your body, even if you don't feel it." The doctor sighed, taking the weight before Ronald could reach for it again.

"Bet you wouldn't give up if it was you…" Ronald muttered.

"It's not 'giving up,' Knox. It's called knowing your limits. You have been working for two hours. That in itself is impressive. Now, it seems you have a visitor, why not return to your room and visit with him?" Knapp said, as he spotted William.

William swung forward on his crutches with a bit of a sheepish smile directed towards Ron, "The doctor is entirely correct, Ron. I am a prime example of ignoring one's limits. Rhea forbid you turn out like me," he said with a soft laugh.

Ronald's cheeks took on a faint pink hue, "But I'm going to go mad if I'm stuck in that hospital bed much longer…Besides, someone has got to make sure you don't drown yourself in work…Eric-senpai said earlier today that you stayed up working through the night again." He accused as the doctor started to wheel him back to his room.

"I know, Ron, but if you make yourself worse due to impatience, then you will just be stuck in said hospital bed for much longer. Your progress is already quite amazing," William said, keeping up pace with the doctor, "And, yes, I did spend the night in the office again, but that was my own fault. I was behind in paperwork when Alan told me he'd had to take care of Sutcliff's collection since he never showed up. Naturally I grew concerned and paused my work to go in search of him...which set me back several hours. I was in quite a terrible mood earlier, but I am feeling significantly better now."

"…he skipped out on field work? But that's the only part of the job he likes…he musta been really ticked off at us…" the blond frowned, "Let me guess, he went on a shopping spree after getting beat up by 'Sebas-chan' because he needed to take it out on something."

William waited until they got back to the room and Ron was settled again before elaborating, "No. Apparently he never made it anywhere near the Phantomhive estate. After exhausting the possibilities of him being at home or having been wounded by the demon, I thought perhaps he'd gone on another killing spree and intended to ask the Undertaker if he knew anything. That's where I found Sutcliff alive, half dressed, and _very_ well, save for his catty attitude towards me."

Ronald blinked in surprise, "He was with that crazy old kook? As in… _with_ him? I'm not sure whether I think he's just on the rebound, or he moves on super fast… But either way, the only thing I don't look forward to when I can return to work is having to face him again…"

William shook his head with a sigh, "I honestly don't wish to know the details, but from the cocky way Undertaker was swaggering, I'd say he was given a very specific type of comfort. But don't worry about Sutcliff. I'm still going to try and work things out. It can't go on like this, us being uncomfortable around him. It's just not acceptable, but it will have to wait until he's less volatile I suppose."

When Ronald was sure that the doctor was long gone, he threw back the blanket off his legs and used his hands to slowly maneuver himself onto his side, letting his lifeless legs dangle off the edge of the bed so he could look at William straight-on and not feel like he was stuck in a bed. Will watched Ron curiously as he maneuvered himself into a different position. He reached out and put his hand on the blond's thigh, "Is there more feeling today? Or is it about the same?" he asked, smiling a little as he squeezed gently.

"He's my senior…and I guess I did kinda stake claim to the man he likes…I'm going to have to talk things out with him myself at some point, even if you manage to smooth things out a bit…" Ronald sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "As for my legs, unfortunately it's the same…if it is better it isn't noticeable. And it's still only my upper thighs. Knapp said my legs had taken the worst damage so it's to be expected that they are being the last to start healing. He also warned me today that for maybe a year or more my bones would still be brittle and could break easy after the damage done by that bloody Hostile Soul…so I have to be careful in field work even after I can walk normally again… I was hoping he'd tell me something good…not bad." He heaved a heavy sigh, "Shoulda ran away the second strange stuff started happening on that collection…overtime would have been so much better than this."

"If you feel you must speak with Sutcliff, then by all means, go ahead. I personally refuse to apologize for his delusions, but I will try to be as understanding as possible." He moved to take Ron's hand, "A year in the scheme of our lifespan is nothing, Ron," William laughed softly at the younger reaper's impatience. "You will just have to be sure to take care, and I will have to be sure to remain gentle," he said softly and kissed his wrist, "There is no way you could have known what was to happen. As terrible as it sounds, if it hadn't been you, it would have been another reaper and he would have likely died. I went after you not only because of my duty as your supervisor, but also because my personal worry drove me to get to you faster."

"…Still doesn't make me feel better… and besides, a year may not seem long to you, but it's still long to me. I'm young, remember? Haven't even been a reaper very long. I've only been out of the academy for two and a half years. A year is forever! Especially if you are going to be overly gentle because I might break." He gave William's hand a small squeeze, meaning it to be tight but unable to do so. "And you, by the way, stole my glasses yesterday."

"Yes, my apologies," he said with a nod, pulling Ron's glasses off. "I hadn't even realized I was wearing them until Alan pointed it out." Ron's words again brought to light that there was a huge age difference between them. Of course patience would not be the blond's strong suit. "Then it's better that a young thing like you took the hit rather than one of us older slower reapers," William chuckled softly. "Perhaps that is why you are making such quick progress." Feeling a gentle squeeze from Ron, he squeezed back, "And I do not have to be 'overly gentle', as you phrase it. Just enough to not break you again," he said bringing Ron's hand up to kiss his knuckles. "Do you think my precision and control are only utilized in the workplace?" he asked, his voice dropping a tone as he caught Ron's eyes. He held Ron's gaze as drew his lips over the other's fingers, pressing soft kisses as he went until he reached the tip of Ron's index finger and drew it between his lips, lightly running teeth and tongue over the fingertip before releasing it very nonchalantly, returned to holding his hand very innocently, and picked up the conversation as if nothing had happened. He knew it was a little mean to tease, but he'd not be underestimated. Will actually had a very strong appetite and the passionate kissing from the day before had made his blood boil. He was still feeling the effects, but Ron might also appreciate knowing he was wanted, even if they could not do anything about it presently.

Ronald blushed deeply, "I Didn't—I mean…" he cleared his throat and moved on, "I bet that got people talking…seeing you in what is obviously my glasses…" There had been so many things he had wanted to say, to explain…but between all the words going through his head, and his sudden flustered composure, Ronald gave up on all of them.

William grinned, satisfied with Ron's reaction and kissed his knuckles again, "My apologies. I didn't mean to throw you off that much," he said sounding sincere but he was very pleased nonetheless. "And, as I said, no one made mention of the glasses at all today except for Alan. I was shut up in my office all night and most of day. I can't even remember if I've eaten."

The blond frowned slightly, "Oh don't tell me that! I'll start worrying about you starving yourself!" He sighed and lifted his hand out of William's to point at him, "Have dinner with me!" he demanded seriously, though he gave a slight smile, "Won't be the most romantic of dates, seeing as we can't leave the hospital, but I'm sure Vivian would let us…maybe even let us have more than food from the Infirmary cafeteria. She seems to like the two of us enough."

William couldn't help but snort softly, "It's not as if I'll die from starvation, but sharing a meal with you sounds extremely pleasant. I can't say I know the quality of the food here, but perhaps once I am no longer on crutches I could bring you a home cooked meal. And once you are out of here, we should take Vivian on that date you owe her. It won't be romantic, of course, but I believe it would be a polite gesture for all that she has done for us."

"Let's just say, the cooks here were the students of the cooks at the Dispatch cafeteria… and the students did not surpass the teachers. Of course they can still cook better than I can, so I won't complain." Ronald smirked, "And starving yourself won't kill you, certainly, but it does nothing to help heal that poor stressed ankle of yours. As for Vivian, How about taking her to go see that play she and the other nurses have been talking about lately? I think she wants to see it at any rate…"

"I'll be sure to bring you a few meals now and again, then," Will said softly. "That way you can get used to what you'll be eating once you can come home- I mean, once you are discharged." William blushed a little at his slip up, hoping it didn't sound too strange, and moved to put his elbow on the bed and rest his chin in his hand in a nonchalant way. "For miss Vivian, that entirely depends on you, Ron," he said with a small smile. "If it the play is still going once you are discharged, then that is what we'll do. Hurry up and get well," he chuckled softly, moving to caress over the top of the blond's thigh.

"You don't…have to tell me twice…" Ronald muttered softly, "I want to go home…" he placed his hand on top of William's.

The quiet admission made William smile again, "I want you to, too," he said softly as he turned his palm upwards to lace fingers with Ron.

"It's…going to be different…living with someone…" he thought out loud, then blushed harder, "Will…would we be…sharing a bed? Or….do you plan on moving mine over from my apartment?"

"It will take some getting used to, though if you're no good at housework, I ask you leave it to me," he laughed softly, then sobered hearing Ron's quiet inquiry, "Well, that again depends on your level of comfort," William said quickly. "You are not obligated to share a bed with me. There is room enough for another bed. If it would make things even easier, a vacancy just opened up in my building...a two bedroom...I could move."

"No, you don't have to do that…I…was just wondering because your bed is kind of small from what I remember…And we don't even know how long I'll be staying…You…did say it may not be permanent…when you asked me, so… And…I don't mind sharing…."

William had to admit to himself that it was a relief to hear that. He was afraid that Ron was going to change his mind, but hearing that he wanted to share a bed was heartening.

"Then instead of a bigger flat, I could get a bigger bed. Something more comfortable for two. I, ah, I already bought another chair for the kitchen table," he said with a slight blush. "S-so new furniture is not a problem."

"New chair…new bed…I'm starting to think I have a rich boyfriend." Ronald half joked, "Though I shouldn't be surprised with how you work, then don't go out afterwards."

"Well, I was an accountant and a lawyer in life and I never quite got away from sums in death, so it's not all that surprising I am good with numbers and finances. I've saved over the years, yes, but I had quite a bit more saved up until about a year ago."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised by that…Though now you have me wondering what happened about a year ago." Ronald said, wondering if the man would share more about himself.

"It's slightly complicated circumstances and I have never spoken to anyone about this," William said softly and carefully. This would be the first time Will broached the subject with anyone, but if anyone needed to know it would be Ron. He straightened up and kept his tone level.

"Unlike most reapers, I came into service with no knowledge of who I was as a mortal. I knew my name and recalled basic skills and practical knowledge, but I had no memories. It didn't bother me at all and having no emotional background, it was easy to stay unfeeling and harsh which is how I earned my reputation...but I discovered my memories had merely been suppressed as they began to resurface in my dreams just over a year ago. The dreams gave me clues... names, actually, and so I searched in the Library and found my sister's record. By finding her, I wound up recalling my past in one fell swoop. That was when I took sick leave for several days...to recover from the emotional onslaught. Perkins was the one who found me a gibbering mess in the Library and escorted me home, but he told no one...Which I am ever grateful for."

William looked uncomfortable saying this, but he continued nonetheless, "After re-learning who I once was, I realized I had quite a bit of money saved up that was benefiting no one. So I made some very substantial donations to various organizations in my sister's name," he said carefully. "And I still do with every paycheck."

Ronald hadn't expected all that. He had expected something less personal and less…depressing, he supposed. The blond wanted to get up and pull the man up into a hug, but he couldn't, not quite like that. So he instead maneuvered his way closer to the chair William was sitting in, and careful to both not bump William's ankle, or make himself embarrassed by dropping himself onto the floor, he managed to slide down onto William's lap to hug him.

"Ron, you really shouldn't-" But William was too late. Ron was already in his lap and he didn't have the ability to move him back into the bed without compromising his ankle.

"Miss Vivian is going to be less than pleased," he said putting his arms around Ron anyway and savoring the fact that he could hold the blond in his arms again. "I did not mean to spout all of that," he said apologetically. "I suppose I could have just said 'I made donations', but once I started, I could not stop talking."

"Well, if I can do things that do not please Doctor Knapp and Vivian, then I think it's a personal victory in my healing. At the very least; it shows that I can, in fact, get myself into a wheel chair without help, so there is no reason for them to help me there anymore. And I can't say I mind being stuck here until she comes around on her rounds to check on me again." The blond grinned. "I'm glad you didn't say you make donations…I just wasn't expecting it to be so personal."

William chuckled at Ron's cheekiness, "I suppose that's one way of looking at it. But please don't push yourself too hard. It would be counter-productive to try and prove your capability and wind up injuring yourself again. And just what did you think I was going to say I did with my money?"

Ronald shrugged, "Maybe that you lost a bet…or stress got too much and you went on a drinking binge…or there was a fire and you had to replace stuff…nothing all that personal. Just…normal life things…" he rested his head on William's head and mindlessly played with the dark hair, "I never knew some reapers didn't have memories of their human lives…"

"That would be quite a bit of money to pour into a drinking binge," William laughed softly. "No, it goes to much better things than that. Hospitals and orphanages mostly." He gently tightened his hold on Ron, "And most reapers do retain their mortal memories. I was a rare case. It was voluntary, but I didn't know that until I regained my memories. In exchange for giving up my mortal memories and agreeing to become a reaper, my sister received the contracts to save her home that I literally worked myself to death writing up."

William laughed, "It's funny that people don't realize how right they are when they tell me work will be the death of me, save that it already happened."

"Well…let's make sure it doesn't happen again. I'll let the first time slide since it was for Mary, and I wasn't even born yet…but no working yourself to death again. Sorry, but you're stuck with me, mate." With a small sigh, he kissed the top of the reaper's head, "I wish I could have met her…"

"You would have liked her, though I'm not so sure she would have liked you," William laughed softly. "She was a tricky one and difficult to read sometimes. Or she might have liked you so much she'd try and steal you from me!" William smiled fondly thinking of his family, "I'm sure Kenneth, her son, would have liked you simply because you smile so much. That boy was always drawn to those with bright smiles."

Unbidden, a lump rose in William's throat at the memory of his young nephew running at him with open arms, grinning and yelling at the top of his lungs for his Uncle Will then throwing himself at William's legs, tumbling them both over while giggling hysterically. He had to swallow hard as he pushed the fond memory away before it brought tears to his eyes and licked his lips, "I think that is enough about me for today," William said, laughing softly, both loving reliving some of his favorite memories, but also quite hating how vulnerable it made him feel. It had only been a year since he'd recovered himself and his emotions but he still had not gotten total control of them.

"Okay," the blond kissed William's forehead again, "You don't have to tell me everything." He knew how painful memories could be, and if William has only remembered his so recently, of course it'd be more painful for him…even if they were happy memories.

"I will tell you whatever you wish to know...in small doses. It is difficult for me to handle very much still, but I am glad to tell you," William said, pressing into Ron's kiss, "Of course, I want to know more about you, as well," William said carefully. "But only what you wish to share. _If_ you wish to."

"If I remember right…I already started sharing when I was drunk….My ex and my Brother, I think…But I'm not opposed to telling you more should you wish to know."

"Yes, you did," Wiliam said with a nod then thought for a moment. "Did you have any close friends growing up or when you were sent off to school?"

"Not really until I left for school. At home Father kept me inside for studying, and when I did see kids my own age, they were daughters of other high class families…I guess that's how I got into the habit of flirting with girls…It's what Father wanted me to do, after all… As for after I left home, I did meet a few friends…Tomas and Theodore. We were dorm mates and we grew quite close…they were the only two that knew about my…ex and I. We called ourselves the 'Purple Brothers' as we were all in the Violet Wolf house. Theo was lucky enough to be a Prefect's fag and so we got away with the stupidest stunts. Like when Tom suggested that we sneak into the Sapphire Owl's dorms and glue all their books to their desks and bookshelves." He gave a small laugh, "Those book worms couldn't study for weeks! We never got caught either…of course we did make it look like it was the work of someone in the Scarlet Fox house. No one would ever point fingers and call out those kids. They all were of nobility or close too it."

"It seems you never quite got rid of that mischievousness. No wonder you and Eric get along so well," William said with a soft laugh, pressing a gentle kiss to Ron's collarbone. "I admit I am curious about learning more, but I'll not trouble you with potentially distressing things now. Perhaps we should see about getting some supper?"

Ronald stiffened, "W-Will…stop teasing me…"

Wiliam raised an eyebrow at that, "A gentle kiss like this is teasing?" he said with a smirk and pressed another kiss to the blond's collarbone, "Are you sensitive here, too?" he murmured, never pulling his mouth away before sucking gently at the exposed skin.

"W-what if…nnn…I am?" he murmured, dropping his head back and curling his fingers into the thin fabric of his hospital gown.

William nibbled gently before moving to kiss over to the other side of Ron's chest, "Then I will take advantage of it," he murmured against Ron's skin, gently kneading his fingers into the other's hip. One hand slid up the blond's spine as he placed more soft kisses and gentle nibbles to the collarbone beneath his lips.

"Y-you're evil…" he groaned, his breaths becoming shorter as William's hands and lips explored his torso, "W-we can't…do anything yet…" he moaned and lifted his head back up to rest it on Will's shoulder.

William's lips traveled from Ron's chest up to his neck to whisper in his ear, "Do you really think so?" he practically purred as his hand slid from Ron's hip to his thigh where he squeezed gently and barely slid his hand beneath the hem of the hospital gown. His other hand traced up Ron's spine and neck to thread fingers into bi-colored locks.

"Completely…" he moaned, "You don't see me taking advantage of this…" he prodded his fingers as hard as he could against William, just below the ribs like he had done on accident before.

Instead of shrinking away as he normally would when stimulated there, especially so hard, William groaned and gently gripped Ron by the hair to pull him into a hungry kiss. His other hand slid up Ron's thigh under the gown, gripping and kneading softly as it moved higher and higher, reaching the young man's hip where he gripped to stop himself from moving his hand where it _really_ wanted to go and instead concentrated on sliding his tongue against Ron's and savoring the feel of his lips and skin.

Ronald groaned into the kiss, if William was going to push him like this, then why should _he_ hold back? He ran his hands up William's chest and pushed his jacket from his shoulders before moving to loosen his tie and pinch open the first few buttons of his shirt before his vest was in the way. With a moan, he broke the kiss and ran his lips down William's neck to his exposed clavicle.

So caught up in the sensations, William forgot he really shouldn't be exciting Ron too much, but he was becoming more desperate for his touch, "It's amazing what you can do when properly motivated," William said, voice a little breathy as he watched Ron undo his tie and the buttons on his shirt. He groaned again softly as Ron's lips met his skin and his fingers still stroked though his soft dual tone hair. He pressed his other hand flat against Ron's belly and caressed softly before stroking downwards and brushing his palm over the other's growing hardness teasingly.

"Nnnn!" Ronald wanted to roll his hips to press against William's hand, but couldn't when his legs wouldn't move to help the small movement, so his fingers gripped the fabric of the man's shirt and vest, straining the buttons to the point that a single button of the black vest popped off and bounced to the floor.

Extremely pleased by Ron's reaction, he again gripped his soft hair and dragged him into another hard kiss. His hand pressing harder against his shaft, rubbing eagerly before wrapping fingers around him to pump in earnest. Will found himself rolling his own hips, his own hardness making itself known.

" _Ah!_ " Ron gasped into the kiss and wrapped his arms around William's shoulders, taking the initiative to slip his own tongue into the other's mouth. He then slid one hand over William's shoulder and then reached up, removing both pairs of glasses and tossing them lightly onto the bed.

He had fully expected Ron to start protesting at any moment, but he seemed just as starved for touch as William was. He paid no heed to his glasses being removed and growled softly as he returned the hungry kiss, turning it into more of a frenzied affair as he sped up his strokes to the straining member in his hand.

Ronald reached down, sliding his fingertips along William's clothed chest to his belt, working it open as quickly as his slow movements would allow him, sliding his fingers in and not noticing that his leg at the hip twitched ever so slightly with another urge to grind himself against William.

William strengthened his grip and shivered slightly at the feel of Ron's fingers wandering down his body. He moaned into the other's mouth earnestly. The hand tangled in Ron's hair moved back down his back to wrap around the blond's waist to brace him as he gave a particularly long hard stroke to Ron's shaft, squeezing from base to tip and back down again, longing to hear him voice his pleasure again.

" _Ahhha!_ " The younger reaper's body leaned more against the older, his hand twitching and gripping William's length harder in response. He began to stroke the shaft in his hand, his thumb massaging his tip in small circles. He moaned and curled his fingers in William's dark hair, weakly begging for more.

Will hissed and groaned in lust at the feel of Ron's fingers wrapping around him. It had been quite a while since he'd taken a lover and being pleasured by someone he adored was an exquisite sensation. One he'd never really had before. Everything he'd experienced with others before paled in comparison...and this was only foreplay. He shivered again, increasing his pace once more, gently rolling his hips into Ron's hand so as to not jostle him and make him fall out of his lap.

William broke the kiss to latch onto the blond's collar bone again, kissing and nipping softly as his other hand snuck back up into two-tone locks. With a grin against Ron's skin, Will's fingers sought out that stubborn curl and gave it a few soft pulls in time with the continued strokes to his twitching shaft as he gasped softly, shuddering from the tightness building in the pit of his belly.

"T-too…much…I—mgonna…Will!" the blond gasped out, his voice going up an octave. His head fell onto the other's shoulder, his body seizing up, and his slow strokes on William's shaft growing more difficult. " _Ahhn!_ " as a somewhat painful shiver violently ripped through his body, Ronald bit down on William's collarbone to muffle his cry, the pressure reaching it's limit and expelling from his body under his hospital gown, creamy white spilling out over William's fingers and soiling the thin garment covering him.

William licked his lips hearing Ron growing close and sighed knowing he was close himself. As the younger reaper's teeth sank into his skin, William bit his lip to hold back a shout and he trembled and groaned with Ron's climax. He released the other's shaft and gripped Ron's fist to assist in pumping himself to completion, burying his face in the bond's neck as he, too, finally spilled over with a long low moan and a shuddering sigh.

Ronald limply relaxed against William, his short gasps of breath feathering over William's neck, "W…where did that come from?" he asked in a tired voice, adjusting himself to a slightly more comfortable position.

"Honestly? I've been wanting to do that since we Tangoed," William laughed softly, turning to kiss Ron's cheek, but he turned his attention to the door when he heard it click open and Eric's head peeked around the door.

"Oi! Are you two done _yet_? I can't keep- Oh, bloody hell! Cover yourselves, you wankers!" Eric groaned and ducked out again, looked around quickly and snatched a fresh gown from a passing linen cart with a bright smile and wink to the orderly, then popped halfway back into the room, keeping his face turned away and tossed the gown at the couple in the chair. "Clean up n' get dressed you horny bastards!" he grumbled before disappearing again.

William blinked, snorted, and threw back his head to laugh long and loud. Eventually, he calmed long enough to help Ron change into the clean gown.

Ronald's face deepened to a bright red, "How long have you been out there listening in, you bloody pervert?" he called out as William helped him into the fresh gown, tossing the soiled one aside out of the way before leaning over to reach for their glasses. William quickly readjusted himself and cleaned himself off as best he could before Ron tossed the other gown aside and slipped on his glasses.

Eric peeked in again and saw the two were decent again so he finally entered the room. "Long enough! I came here out of the goodness of my heart to bring ya a nice fresh steak and kidney pie from the pub and I see you in Will's lap eating his face off! So, being the nice bloke I am, I closed the door, and stood out here keepin' guard thinkin' you'd just want some time to snog, so I told Viv you two were nappin' and I'd get her when you two 'woke up'. Then I had to listen to you both moanin' like whores! I figured when ya quieted down that meant you were done so I looked in and now I need eye bleach."

William had the decency to blush, "My apologies, Eric," he said. "I instigated it."

"Oh please, don't act like you've never seen another man before. Or must I remind you of that time you walked in on me when I was getting out of a bath that one night you crashed on my couch. You got more than an eyeful then and hardly made such a deal about it." Ronald said, trying to tone down the color in his cheeks.

"I've got no issue with man bits, Ron, but there's a difference between seein' a guy naked, and seein' your best friend and your boss all out of breath with their bits hangin' out all covered in- yeah. Let's stop there," Eric said shaking his head as if to shake the image away. "Anyway, wanna eat before this gets too cold?" Eric asked as he held up a box.

William looked at Eric unable to stop himself form smiling softly. Normally he'd be mortified, but now he just found the whole situation rather funny, "I think that's a good idea," he said with a nod, then looked at Ron. "But, we'll need another favor from you, I'm afraid. If he's to get back in bed before miss Vivian sees, I can't lift him right now. Would you?"

"Yeah…I wasn't really thinking when I moved down here…" Ronald sighed, "But food is great, you're my hero, Eric-senpai." The blond gave a wide grin.

Eric rolled his eyes, "You were thinkin' alright...," Eric said, setting the box on the floor and scooping Ron into his arms and settling him back onto the bed. "...just with the wrong head."

"That's hardly fair, Senpai. That was not what I was thinking about when I moved! It's just the result! My actions were innocent." he said as he settled back onto the bed, "You're just jealous." He smirked.

Eric snorted and went to smack Ron in the leg but remembered to stop himself. He had to keep the rough housing down...for now, "If I wanted you, I could have had you _so_ many times when you were shitfaced, Ron! And if you think I'm jealous of you for nabbing Will here, think again! No offense, boss, but you're not my type," Eric grinned. "I like mine cute and mousy."

"No offense taken," William said with a nod.

"Ya better not be implying I'm 'cute and mousy,' Eric." Ronald said, throwing one of his pillows at the older reaper, "I doubt Alan-senpai would like to be called that either!"

"You're cute, but you sure as hell aren't mousy, brat!" Eric grinned as he threw the pillow back. "Alan likes it just fine...he just won't admit it." He paused to duck his head out once more and nabbed a passing orderly to ask for some utensils, and wandered back into the room and plopped himself onto the bed near Ron's feet.

"No, see, you're cute and flirty which is why all the ladies are comfortable with you. You're like everyone's cute little brother. Will here has serious business stoic goin' on that all the secretaries want for a career husband. Alan is cute and mousy. He's so polite it just makes you want to ruffle his feathers. And me? I'm just bloody amazing," Eric said with a toothy grin.

William shook his head, "While I agree that Ron is cute, I would be a terrible husband, Alan is pleasantly polite but he does have a temper, and you are full of yourself," William laughed softly and looked up when an orderly returned carrying a tray with utensils and some spare plates.

"I'm not cute…" Ronald pouted, "You're not so great, and it's starting to look like Will's the secretly sexy one." He said, his pout turning into a grin. As a tray was set up for use as a table while eating.

"What?" William scoffed.

"Yeah, Mr. _'I've-been-wanting-to-do-that-since-we-Tangoed'_ , Ron has a point. I don't think any of us expected you to be so...passionate," Eric said as he pulled the box up off the floor, set out the pie and helped himself.

"There has never been a need to be anything but professional at work," William said, not quite sure how to take that.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing," Eric said with a shrug and handed William a plate and fork. "Just that there's this new Will guy where only Mr. Spears used to be. Never knew about him until Ron here dragged him out and I kinda like him."

Ronald nodded and flashed William a smile, "You can't hide it anymore, at least not from me. I know you better than that." He said as he leaned forward and yanked Eric's plate from him and grinning mischievously.

"You know, you're right, Ronda, you're _not_ cute," Eric said stealing Ron's fork off his plate, grabbing the rest of the pie, setting it in his lap, and turning away to be just out of the blond's reach. "So, Will, now that this little bugger has officially lost his cuteness, how do you feel about him now?"

"Don't call me that, _Erica_." The blond pouted, swinging his pillow to hit Eric upside the head before grabbing a fork to start eating.

William couldn't help but smile. The two acted like squabbling siblings and it very much reminded him of himself and his sister, "He doesn't need it, nor do I think he wants it. Mischief and thievery aside, I think he's still tolerable bordering on lovable."

* * *

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For what happened in detail between Grell and Undertaker, read the linked oneshot:
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/939150


	10. Chapter 10

As the weeks went by, Ronald slowly began to improve, regaining use of his limbs. The speed of his movements with his upper body was no longer slowed, and he could operate at a normal pace, though his bones were still brittle and healing, so there were things he was forbidden from doing, such as lifting heavier items, including his own scythe.

The angry red marks that had marred his body had faded to lighter scar-like marks for the most part. There was one around his neck and hip that were still bright and Doctor Knapp had mentioned that those ones, while they may fade eventually, may never disappear completely.

Ronald was also walking, slowly, and with the help of the bars lining the walls, or crutches, though he was unable to stay on his feet for more than a few minutes without needing a rest. So he still spent a lot of time in a wheelchair. It was somewhat frustrating to the blond, but the doctors and nurses all were overly satisfied by his progress in a little over a month, and were starting to discuss the idea of letting Ronald leave the hospital if he would return each day for his physical therapy.

Panting from walking a few steps from the double bars in the therapy room, to where Vivian stood near the door, Ronald collapsed into the wheelchair she had brought, handing her his crutches and sitting silently for a moment to catch his breath.

"You have a visitor, Ron." She smiled down at him.

"I do?" Ronald frowned in thought, it was in the middle of the day, so William would definitely still be working, unless something had happened… or it could be Eric or Alan if they got some time off or took a late lunch break to come see him. It was something the two had done before.

"Yes, you do." She said, following behind Ronald as he started to wheel himself down the Hall to his room, "I'm guessing you would like to not have a nurse accompany you into your room to help you back into your bed?"

"You know me so well, Viv." He smiled.

"Very well. Don't go hurting yourself. I'd hate to see you get yourself stuck here longer because you are showing off." She grinned, laying his crutches over his lap, "I'll be around to check on you in a few hours."

Ronald watched her leave before continuing to his room. The door was open, luckily, so he maneuvered his chair in carefully until a flash of red caught his eye by the window. He froze, looking at Grell who stood with his arms crossed, looking out at the reapers in the street below.

He rolled himself into the room more and closed the door. The redhead didn't move or acknowledge him, so he slowly wheeled himself in closer to his hospital bed, "…Sutcliff-senpai?" he knew he'd have to face his senior eventually, he just didn't know yet if he was ready to. According to William, the red reaper still would not talk to Will unless it was necessary for work, and even then it was short and to the point.

Still, the older reaper did not speak nor move. His eyes trained on something of little importance happening outside.

"Senpai…I—"

"You stole the heart of the man you knew I loved." The redhead interrupted curtly.

"I never meant to…It was the last thing on my mind when I took him out for a drink…it was just supposed to be two coworkers going out after work…"

"You took him out and he fell for you, just like the secretaries at the office. I know. But the difference this time is that _you_ changed. You fell for him. This time you didn't treat it like just two people hanging out, you actually…returned the feelings." Grell turned and looked at the blond, "You just had to go and change your mind about not letting people close to you, about not trusting someone….when it was him."

"Senpai…"

"I know he has told me we would never happen, okay? But that didn't change anything about how I felt about him. There was always a chance he'd change…and you took that chance away from me…and you didn't even tell me." The redhead seemed to be calm, but there was an unmistakable hint of anger in his voice.

Eric had managed to score some baked goods from yet another concerned Ronald fan. After getting the details about what had happened with the other ladies, Eric had been doing his best to be a buffer when he could. Considering how many girls that little brat had charmed, there were a lot of instances. This one had started with the waterworks, but Eric handled it smoothly, talked her down in a playful roundabout way, agreed to deliver her gift to Ron and even sent her away with a smile. It was almost too easy and he got a free lunch out of it.

He munched on a random pastry as he headed down the hall to Ron's room when he heard the unmistakable voice of Grell through the door. It wasn't his usual flamboyant tone, either. Eric wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. He didn't have anything against the red reaper since he'd heard both sides of the story, Grell's from Alan and Will's from Ron, about the spat between the former partners. As far as he knew, the two still weren't on speaking terms. It was a messy subject, but one he knew wouldn't get resolved until they all talked it out. He leaned against the wall next to Ron's door to give them a couple of minutes between themselves so he wouldn't interrupt something too important.

"Look, I know you're angry…but…I really hadn't expected things to go the way it did. Will hadn't either, he—"

"Don't call him that!" Grell snapped, causing Ronald to sigh.

"Fine, William-senpai then. Better?"

The redhead nodded and leaned against the window, looking at Ronald as he gave him the chance to continue.

"I'm sorry, Senpai, I really am. I didn't want to betray you…but…I finally found someone I can trust…and…William-senpai seems happy to be with me so…can't you try to forgive us?"

"You could have at the very least told me yourself! You had the chance! We even had lunch together the day you bloody well put yourself in this hospital!" Grell hissed dangerously.

Ronald rolled himself back in his chair a few inches, "It didn't cross my mind to tell you yet…I mean, I hadn't even known it was going to last at all…we…were both drunk the night before, after all…we had a date planned and I was going to judge weather or not this was for real then…But things turned out differently and I found my feelings were real after I was attacked…I hadn't the chance to tell you after that…"

"Then you should have told Will to tell me!"

"Hey! I already said I was sorry!"

"Not what I came here for, brat!" Grell snapped back

"Well, it sounds to me like you already moved on! Skipping work to bang that crazy old kook!"

"Unnie and I are a whole other matter! Sure he helped me move on, but I came here because you let me hear about you and Will through the grapevine instead of through yourselves. You both know how I felt!"

"Then what do you want if not an apology? Tell me and I'll see if I can do it."

Eric couldn't clearly hear what they were saying as it was terribly muffled by the door, but when he heard Grell's voice getting louder, he took that as he cue to enter. He gave a cursory knock and shouldered the door open, poking his head in while grinning.

"You two playin' nice?" he asked as he invited himself in.

"I got some baked good s from Cindy for ya here, Ron," Eric said as he set the small basket down and plopped himself down in his usual spot on the bed even though the blond wasn't currently in it. "I didn't catch everything you were sayin' but I got tired of waiting out there in the hall. Don't mind me. Continue," he gestured and nabbed another roll from the basket.

Grell sighed and rubbed his temple, "I'll tell you later what I want from you. And you can't complain or resist!" he said, pointing at Ronald.

"…I can't promise that, Senpai." Ronald said slowly.

"Don't worry. I may be hurt, but I won't make you break darling William's heart or anything. This is just for you. Will won't be involved at all."

Ronald sighed, "Fine, if that's what will make you happy."

"Good boy." Grell smiled and glanced down at his pocket watch, "And now I have to go to a collection. I'll see you at your place once you are released.

"Uhm…" Ronald's unsure voice made the redhead pause as he flitted to the door, "I won't be going back to my apartment…William-senpai wants me to stay with him when I get out…" he said, slowly and carefully.

Grell turned away, "…I see…then I'll be visiting you there."

Eric chewed and listened to the other two carefully, sizing up the situation. At least there wasn't screaming or yelling, but Grell seemed really pissed off.

"Alright, don't say hello or goodbye, Sucliff," Eric said with a roll of his eyes as he watched the redhead leave. Then he looked at Ron, "I'll bet you a tenner he's gonna put you in a dress again."

"At this point…I can only hope that's all he's planning…" Ronald sighed, closing the door again and wheeling himself over to the bed and using his crutches to help lift himself up into the awaiting bed. He grunted and leaned the crutches against the wall before sitting Indian style on the bed, grabbing a roll and biting into it, "Of course… if you really look at it, That's what lead Will and I to get hooked up to begin with. If he hadn't forced me into that blasted skirt, Will would have never made me work in his office to hide me until I could get a pair of pants…which of course lead to us talking and me taking him out for a drink…"

"Oh don't make me nauseous, Ron! The way you two got together was weirdly romantic in a really awkward way. It's bloody obvious to anyone who isn't mental that you two are madly in love!" Eric laughed.

"Well if it makes you nauseous then more for me!" Ronald grinned, grabbing two more rolls from the basket.

"Should be more for you. It was a present for _you_! I was just takin' some as a delivery charge," Eric chuckled and nudged Ron, "I just don't get why Grell's knickers are in such a twist over this. I don't think he's got a right demanding anything from you. If he forces you to do something bloody ridiculous I'll give him something to really bitch about," Eric said lowly, cracking his knuckles.

"No one ever said Grell-senpai was sane." Ronald shrugged, "But watch it, you may not be the 'cute' type of guy, but if you mar his face, I'm sure you'll find yourself at the mercy of his wardrobe if his scythe doesn't find you first."

"Yeah, well, he shouldn't try and bully you just because you got what he wanted most. And he shouldn't be bitching and moaning about you not telling him. Hell, the only reason I found out was because I caught you two and you don't see me pitchin' a fit over it."

"You also weren't in love with one of us." Ronald pointed out, "And he's not the only crazy person…Some of the secretaries didn't take the news all that well either."

"You think I don't know about the crazy wenches? Ron, I've been keepin' em' off ya! See, what you and Will need to do, once you're out of here of course, is have a big ol' party, invite every girl that still wants in your pants and show off to them how gross and mushy you two are!" Eric laughed. "Maybe they'll be smart and back off for good. Course, then you won't get as much free food..."

"Right, because Will'll be all over that idea. A wild, Knox-styled party featuring his public display of affection as the main attraction." The blond rolled his eyes. "And we are not mushy! If anyone is mushy, it's you and Al. The way you are constantly codling him."

"Yeah..." Eric grinned a little stupidly thinking about Alan. "Like Will isn't constantly coddling you with the way he brings you _home cooked_ food all the time and visits you every bloody day? You have totally ruined his reputation of being a hardass. Even Viv thinks so." Eric snorted and leaned in closer, "And I was gonna keep it a secret, but I caught Will doing somethin' you'd never believe. Hell, _I_ don't even believe it."

"One, he cooked before we got together; says he's going to magically make me learn how to, too. Two, Unless he's changed the way he acts at work, only you, Knapp, Viv and I know about that. And three…" he stopped counting off his list on his fingers and leaned in closer, "What was he doing?"

"So me and Will have been eatin' lunch together when we can't leave the office so the other day I was gonna go grab him and I just walked into his office as usual, but his chair was turned a bit and I saw him holding a cloth, lookin' at it like it was something special. It was so little I didn't get a good look at it so I thought it was a tie or a scarf or something. Well, he got all bloody flustered, shoved it in a drawer and got all snappy with me. Course, I talked him down and convinced him to come eat with me. Right when he left, I slammed the door behind him, ran over to his desk, and pulled out what the bastard had been hiding. And what do ya know, it was a skirt. A teeny tiny little thing and I had no idea why he had it or why he was hiding it. Will was raging when he came back in and I got in his face demanding to know what tart it belonged to and asking why he was cheating on you, all that jazz. Of course, he denied it all and told me it was the skirt Grell forced you to wear the day you two got together and that he'd just never gotten around to giving it back," Eric laughed at the memory. "I almost didn't believe him, except he was so red I thought he was going to pass out. That stupid skirt was so wrinkled, I think he takes it out every time he misses you. He made me swear not to tell anyone, but figurin' you're the reason behind it, you oughta know how crazy he is about you. So, yeah, you two are all kinds of mushy!"

"…That skirt….He kept that bloody skirt?!" Ronald gasped in horror, his face bright red. "That thing should be burned! It barely even covers anything, I don't think it constitutes as actual clothing." With a groan he flopped over to the side dramatically, "Made my legs cold…"

"Doesn't change the fact that he was pettin' it. Either he's got a crossdressin' kink or he's just so lovesick he likes anything that has to do with you. Considering he wasn't pitchin' a tent, I think he just really likes you. You're lucky, kiddo. If he hasn't said he loves you yet, he's sure as hell showin' it."

Ronald shook his head and rolled onto his back, grabbing another roll, "I still can't believe it…you gotta be seeing things. Maybe its time to get your glasses checked."

"What? Seein' the skirt or seein' how much Will fancies you? If it's the skirt thing, I bet if you just mention it he'll get all red again," Eric snickered. "But if it's how he feels about you, then you need _your_ glasses checked! Or just put Will's on again. I never heard the man laugh until you n' him got together and I _know_ it's not cos' he's gettin' laid."

"That's because he's not. It's kinda hard to do things like that when I'm stuck in a hospital bed all the time for weeks on end." Ronald rolled his eyes and tossed half of his roll at the older reaper, "But ya don't need sex to have fun with the Knox." He grinned and pushed himself up, "Anyone can tell ya that. Hell, you know that."

"Thanks!" Eric said as he grabbed the roll and ate it with a laugh. "And, yeah, you're a fun guy and all that. Bloody charmin' as hell, too, considerin' all the ladies still want you even when they know you're taken. What, you're not sure if Will loves you or something?"

"It's not that…I know he does, I just…sometimes I get haunted by memories is all." He shrugged, "It'd be easier if I could forget that last year of my human life."

Eric rubbed the back of his neck a little uncomfortably, "Maybe Will can make you forget. Look, I know I never ask, but if ya wanna talk about it, I can listen."

"Naw, forget it. You don't wanna sit through all that. Will knows, and that's enough." He shrugged.

"If you say so," Eric shrugged. "Just remember to give yourself a fighting chance."

"Since when do I ever give up?" Ronald grinned.

* * *

To be continued...


	11. Chapter 11

A few more weeks passed and Ronald was finally deemed healthy enough to leave the infirmary. William had continued to prepare his home, buying a new, larger bed as he said he would, and with Eric's help, he'd gone to Ron's apartment to retrieve some of the blond's necessities, mostly his clothes and some personal effects.

William was almost beside himself with excitement and had managed to get the afternoon off to prepare before going to the infirmary to escort Ron home. He had a nice dinner in the works, made sure everything was in order, and left to fetch the blond.

On their way out; William thanked Dr. Knapp and Vivian for all they'd done and extended the invitation to Vivian for a night out with them once Ron was up for it. She had said there wasn't much point anymore, but she wouldn't turn down a free meal so they could make plans later.

All too soon, William had escorted Ron to his door, feeling fluttery and nervous in the blond's presence for the first time in a while. He knew it was silly to be nervous, but he was also so happy he nearly couldn't contain it. He managed to keep a mostly calm demeanor, but he was probably obvious to Ron. With a soft smile he opened the door and ushered Ron inside, "Welcome home," he said softly.

Ronald chuckled, leaning heavily on his cane. Over the weeks he had managed to strengthen his legs enough to no longer need to walk himself with crutches, and he could walk farther distances before needing to sit and rest. Though the walk from the hospital to William's apartment had been long enough to warrant three stops so he could rest because he refused to be wheeled out in his chair the first time he got to leave the hospital, he had also refused to let them call for a carriage. He had working legs and he was going to use them. Yet the cane was necessary, his right leg was healing quite a bit slower than his left, and it couldn't support his weight. The doctors were not surprised by this and mentioned that his right leg had been more damaged when they were operating on him.

Without an invitation, he slowly made his way to the couch and dropped himself onto it before smiling over at William as he closed the door, "You're cute when you're excited. Tell me, is it because I'm finally out of that ridiculously sterol building, or because I get to call this 'home' now?"

William smiled back as he hung his jacket and removed his gloves, "Perhaps a little of both," he answered moving to the mantle where he picked up a bottle of scotch with a ribbon tied around the neck and two glasses, taking them over to set them on the table in front of Ron. "Here's a little gift for doing your time admirably," William laughed softly. "Technically you are still not allowed to have alcohol, but this is a special occasion and I'm sure you'd like to celebrate a bit. Why don't you pour while I go check on dinner?" William smirked and disappeared into the kitchen.

"You'll get into trouble if Knapp finds out you let me break the rules." He teased, leaning forward to open the bottle of scotch and pour a small amount into each glass, "But ya shouldn't let me get drunk tonight. My condition aside, I'd like to spend a sober night alone with you, even if nothing happens."

Will returned relatively quickly, "Dinner will be ready shortly, it just needs to cool," William said as he sauntered over to the couch to join Ron, taking both glasses, handing one to the blond and keeping one for himself, "And I have no intention of letting you get drunk. I thought after so long with nothing but water, juice, and weak tea that you would like something a little more flavorful," William said as he leaned back and put and arm across Ron's shoulders, then lifted his glass and clinked it to Ron's. "To you."

Ronald grinned brightly and leaned against him in a casual, half-cuddle sort of way, "For finally escaping that prison." He added, taking a small sip of the scotch to saver it. He closed his eyes and smiled into the glass.

"Cheers," William said with a bright smile of his own as he sipped his drink. He was tempted to pull Ron tighter against him, but he knew if he did that, he wouldn't want to get up again. Instead, he turned and buried his nose in blond locks and squeezed Ron's shoulder, "If there is anything at all you need or simply want from your place, let me know. This place is just as much yours now and Eric helped me to only bring over necessities."

"Only if one of you guys grabbed my knife. Coulda used it last time I didn't have it with me." the blond chuckled.

"Eric actually did make a point of bringing that," he said as he moved to stand up and retrieve said knife.

Ronald took another sip of his drink and tilted his head back to look at William, debating if he should mention what was still on his mind from a few weeks before, "Will…do you still have that skirt?"

Ron's question made him pause and snap his head to look at the blonde with wide eyes, then quickly looked away again, a faint tint of pink forming on his cheek. "No, why?" he asked, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"No real reason…Eric mentioned he saw it, is all. I was surprised as I had assumed that thing was long gone." Ronald said as casually as he could, though he was reading more from William's reaction than his words.

"He told you?!" William exclaimed before gasping and covering his mouth, his face going from pink to deep red. If embarrassment could take scythe form, William was sure he would have met his end upon it. Eric had sworn he wouldn't tell anyone about that! But maybe he hadn't. Maybe he hadn't divulged everything...like how William had been petting it like a creeper; "I-I mean, what did he tell you?" he said, trying for a casual tone himself and failing miserably.

"So you do still have it!" he accused, pointedly, "He didn't tell me much, just that he saw a skirt on your desk and thought he'd mention it." He fibbed slightly, "I think it confused him. Why? With your face going as red as it is…what were _you_ doing with it? Please don't tell me you were trying it on yourself! That thing barely covered me!" he teased to lighten the mood a bit.

"Of course I wasn't!" William blustered as he suddenly went pale. "If I _was_ into cross dressing, I'd have better taste than that!" Then he sighed, his face going red again as he looked down, "You left it in my office that day so I just shoved it in a drawer and forgot about it after all that had happened. I had meant to take it back to Grell the next day, but it-" he paused, his blush growing brighter. "-it reminded me of you."

"…Ah…" the blond's face went redder, "Of all the things…" he adverted his eyes chewing on his lip before speaking again in a low voice, embarrassed that he would even think to ask; "…You don't have a fetish for other guys cross dressing, do you? I mean… like wanting me to put that thing back on…?"

"No! Not at all! I don't have anything against those that _do_ , but it's not something I fantasize about at all. I only kept it because it was all I had of yours. Though technically it isn't yours, but it was one of the last things you had worn that wasn't destroyed and I couldn't take the pillow with-" William blushed realized he was uncharacteristically babbling and stopped himself. "I'll get rid of it," he said quickly.

"If ya want…though…" Ronald sank a little in his seat, turning his face away more to hide his blush, "If you were interested…I'd wear it again for you…But only if no one knows about it ever!"

"Why would I tell anyone? Our business is no one else's. And let us not forget that you hate that thing," William said with a small smile. "I wouldn't do that to you, but the sentiment is appreciated. I was worried you would think me a deviant for keeping something you wore...the article didn't matter, had it been your tie or handkerchief and I would have probably done the same thing..."

"How creepy of you." Ronald sighed, laying down across the couch, resting his head in William's lap as he blushed up at him, "Just remembering your reactions when I was in it got me over-thinking I guess."

"You think I don't know it's creepy? That's why I didn't want you to know," William said with a slight frown, though he stroked fingers through Ron's hair, "And I was reacting that way because you have nice legs. The skirt was inconsequential," he said with a slight pout.

"…Legs?" Ronald blushed, slowly shifting to stretch his legs out and look at them, "Didn't think you were a leg kind of guy…" he tucked his legs in against his bottom and propped himself up slightly, reaching up to catch the back of Wiliam's head to pull him into a quick kiss.

"I am normally not, but yours are exceptional," William said with a hint of a smirk before he was pulled into the kiss. He turned and put his arms around Ron, one hand running up into the younger reaper's hair and the other kneading his thigh. He wanted to continue, but he was sure dinner was cooled enough to eat, so he broke the kiss, "We can continue later," William said softly though he still stroke his finger through Ron's hair and over his thigh. "Come, let's eat."

"And just when I was getting excited, too." Ronald said with an attempted pout which was spoiled by a smirk that managed to curl his lips. With a sigh, he reached down and picked up his cane from the floor and managed to wiggle his way to his feet.

"I will make sure you will get excited later," William said with a laugh. "I've put a lot of effort into this dinner and you are going to enjoy it." With that, he got up off the couch and went into the kitchen just before Ron to prepare plates for the both of them. As Ron entered, he gestured over to the table, "Would you mind lighting the candles?"

Ronald started to giggle, but managed to turn it into a chuckle as he moved over to the table and grabbed the match box, "You really are a romantic, William Spears." The blond struck a match and lit the three candles carefully placed in the center of the table before lowering himself into one of the chairs and setting his cane aside.

"I can be anything when properly motivated," William said with a smile as he brought their plates over and poured them some water from an awaiting carafe. "Considering this is our first date, I thought a little effort would be appropriate."

"Well, it makes up having to postpone so long," The younger reaper grinned, "Though I think at this point Eric would argue that we've shared many dates in that bloody hospital room. He made a big deal about asking me if you took me for a 'romantic stroll through the corridors before visiting hours were over' before Alan-senpai smacked him over the head with his glove."

"For one to consider those dates, then Eric is either easy to please or does not have high expectations. I am glad we did get to spend so much time together, but it was hardly very intimate with the threat of someone walking in always present. Here, we can enjoy one another's company without fear of interruption," William said as he took Ron's hand and kissed it.

"True." Ronald smiled, "But that didn't stop us once or twice. Which I am still blaming you completely for." He gave William's hand a squeeze, "Now, are you going to stand there all day flirting, or are you going to actually take a seat and enjoy this lovely candle-lit dinner you have prepared for us?"

Will smiled and sat down to enjoy the meal he'd spent the better part of the afternoon preparing, chatting with Ron and making small plans. Once they were finished, he cleared their plates and moved to put on a pot of coffee to join with dessert, "Unfortunately, I am not at all talented when it comes to baking so I thought for dessert we could have coffee, fruit, and chocolate in the living room. I've also got some fresh whipped cream if that sounds appetizing?"

"That's more than what I would have thought about. Actually, all of this is." Ronald grinned. Grabbing his cane and pulling himself up again, "Can I carry anything to the sitting room then?"

"No, just enjoy this reprieve before I start making demands on you," William said leaning in to give Ron a soft kiss. "Go ahead; I'll be right behind you." He plated the fruit, chocolate, and cream, grabbed a tray and set the plates and cups of coffee on it and took it into the sitting room, setting it on the coffee table in front of Ron before joining him on the couch.

"Am I required to have proper edict during dessert, or can I just dig in?" Ronald asked, loosening his tie more.

"You're at home, Ron," William scoffed. "You get to do whatever you want." He leaned forward himself and picked a slice of orange from amongst the strawberries and blueberries and selected a small piece of bitter chocolate to eat them together. "Decorum is not at all necessary," he laughed softly.

"Good." he grinned, grabbing a strawberry and dipping it into the whipped cream before biting into it, a small gob of cream getting stuck on the corner of his mouth, unnoticed by him.

Will raised an eyebrow at Ron's messy eating and didn't hesitate to lean in and lick the bit of cream from the corner of his mouth. "Then again, there is something to be said for a lack of decorum," William said as he pressed a piece of chocolate to Ron's lips as he pulled away. Ronald blushed and parted his lips, allowing the dark chocolate to slide onto his tongue, slowly taking it in and letting it melt. William grinned as he remained close, "I have to admit, my choice of dessert did have slightly nefarious intentions," William said as he reached over and dipped a finger into the cream. He slowly licked it off his finger and leaned forward to press his lips to Ron's before sliding his tongue into the other's mouth to twine with Ron's and blend the flavors of the cream and chocolate together, groaning softly.

The blond moaned, "I was hoping that was the case…" he muttered when the flavorful kiss broke. He smeared some of the cream over William's cheek before licking it off, tantalizingly slow. William hummed in approval and let the blond finish before taking his face in his hands and drawing him into another deep kiss as he reached over and blindly grabbed a strawberry. He broke the kiss momentarily to press it against Ron's lips and encourage him to bite into it. Ron parted his lips, letting the fruit wedge itself in half way before biting down on it partway, leaning in towards William, some of the red juice dribbling onto his lip as he held the fruit between his teeth.

Will broke the strawberry and traced the half eaten fruit down Ron's chin and neck, leaving a trail of cool juice. He leaned forward and laved his tongue over the younger man's lip to lick up the juice, then curled his tongue around the fruit between the other's teeth and drew it into his own mouth before pressing a kiss to the blond's lips. He slowly chewed and swallowed as the continued to trace the berry down Ron's neck, unbuttoning and pushing his shirt out of the way to run it over his collarbone. Will leaned forward and mapped kisses along the path he had taken the strawberry, lapping up the thin trail of sticky juice it left behind, ending at nibbling over the blond's collarbone and offering the rest of the fruit to the younger reaper by pressing it to his lips.

Ronald let out a hitched gasp, his head rolling back as he leaned back on the couch, almost as if he was offering himself to William to feast upon. His eyes closed and he let off a soft moan. His hands running over William's sides. The older reaper continued kissing and nibbling over the exposed skin of Ron's neck and shoulder to draw out more gasps and moans. With a final nip, he suddenly stopped reached for a cup of coffee and sat back on the couch as if nothing had happened, sipping nonchalantly though a tiny smirk curled his lips.

The blond let off a tiny whimper of protest and pushed himself up, looking at William before reaching over to grab a wedge of orange and slipping it into his mouth before quickly dipping four fingers into the cream and flinging it at William, watching it hit his jaw and down his neck.

Will laughed softly as he wiped a bit of cream from his cheek and put down his coffee to give Ron a stern look. "Must you be such a messy eater, Knox?" he asked as he grabbed Ron's hand and brought it up to his lips to methodically suck clean his fingers as suggestively as possible.

"Mmmust you be such a tease, Spears?" Ronald murmured back, leaning in to run his tongue up the man's neck and along the jaw, nipping lightly at the soft skin.

He was going to respond with a quip, but the feel of Ron's tongue effectively distracted him, causing him to moan softly. His hands caressed over Ron's sides before one drifted up to cup the back of the blond's head as he offered more of his neck. Ronald smirked and shifted closer, leaning against him and nipping harder, sucking at the base of his neck and leaving a small dark mark before pulling back and moving up to his lips and kissing him.

Will normally hated kiss marks, but one coming from Ron made his blood boil, and he expressed as much as he overtook the kiss with a growl and hurried to unbutton Ron's shirt the rest of the way. Once it was open, he broke their heated kiss and he pushed the shirt off the younger reaper's shoulders and didn't hesitate to pepper kisses over his chest as he slid off the couch to kneel between Ron's legs. He wrapped one arm around the blond's waist while the other reached behind himself to scoop up a small amount of cream and spread it over Ron's chest. With a devious little laugh he leaned in and licked it away slowly, paying special attention to the younger man's nipples with sensual sucking and nibbling.

Ronald shrugged out of his shirt and wrapped his legs lightly around the man between his thighs. He slid his hands down from Will's shoulders as he let our a long moan, grabbing the man's hand and bringing his fingers to his lips, licking the cream from them and guiding them into his mouth.

Ronald had accused _him_ of being a tease? The way the blond moved and moaned and now sucked on his fingers, William wondered how he could have resisted all this time. Doing his best to not be distracted by that wicked tongue, William kissed and licked down Ron's chest and abdomen, lewdly dipping his tongue into the younger reaper's navel as he took his hand back to unbutton the other's pants and expose the skin of his lower belly and hips. Will's hands traced eagerly over Ron's thighs as he kissed and nipped lower, pressing extra kisses over the red mark still present on Ron's hip. He moved lower still and rubbed his cheek against the still clothed erection, then turned slightly to mouth over the straining shaft teasingly.

Ronald gave an airy gasp and buried his fingers into William's hair, running them through the dark locks before grabbing onto them, "Pl-please tell me you are not teasing this time, Will…" he moaned.

"That's for me to decide, isn't it?" Will said softly as he continued to mouth and nuzzle, enjoying the fact that he could make Ron sound so sexy. He chuckled softly and nosed open Ron's pants further to expose him.

To be honest, Will had wanted to do this on numerous occasions when Ron was still stuck in bed, but he'd never gained the opportunity to and he was going to savor it now. He reached behind himself once more to retrieve more cream and liberally slathered it on Ron's shaft before licking from base to tip, touching him with nothing but his tongue. Once he reached the tip, he dove down to take Ron into his mouth as far as comfortably possible while wrapping fingers around him to grip as he swirled his tongue and came up again to release him with a wet pop, "But does this seem like teasing to you?" William practically purred as he gave another hard lick along the entire length followed by a firm pump.

"Nnnnnn…It is if you st-stop…" he whispered, rolling his hips and closing his eyes. He ran his fingers down William's cheeks and tugged his tie off, unbuttoning his shirt as far as he could reach from his position.

"You could not stop me if you tried," William growled softly as he took Ron's length into his mouth again and did nothing to assist the blond in removing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. He was too focused on his prize and groaned to send vibrations down the shaft pulsing against his tongue. He took up a bobbing rhythm, complimenting his movements with firm strokes as his free hand gripped at Ron's hip.

Giving up at trying to remove William's clothing, Ronald leaned back, moaning and shifting in pleasure. He slid his hands down the sides of his own body and pushed his pants down off his hips completely. Feeling Ron wiggle like that, William did not pause in his ministrations as he removed the younger man's shoes and socks and dragged his pants the rest of the way off, though it had taken some careful maneuvering to do so. When Will was dedicated to something, he was deeply so, and could not be easily driven from his course of action. His hands eagerly caressed over the now bare legs that held so much appeal for him, running the pads of his fingers and pressing his palms over Ron's calves and thighs as if mapping them in his own mind, all the while still bobbing, licking, and sucking to draw as many moans as possible from his lover.

The blond bit his lip in a failed attempt to hold back his moans, shifting his legs to press into William's hands as they glided over his skin. Because his hands were busy clutching the upholstery; he skimmed his bare foot along William's leg in attempt to touch him more.

Will dragged teeth lightly over Ron's length and returned a hand to grip and pump almost fiercely. He was driven and dedicated to his task and he wanted to make Ron come more than anything. He'd waited so long and he wanted to hear that delicious moan of completion again. With his free hand, he guided one of Ron's hands back to his hair as he suddenly took him in to the root, Will's nose nuzzling bi-colored curls as he swallowed against the shaft in his mouth, groaning himself.

"Ahh! W-William-! Nnhyahn…!" Ronald cried out, gripping William's dark hair tightly. His toes curled as he felt himself, already and all too soon, approaching his climax. "I-I'm…UAHH!" His hips twitched upwards into William's mouth as he spilled over into the wet cavern engulfing him.

William swallowed greedily and gave a couple more teasing swipes of his tongue before releasing Ron and lazily nuzzled his lower belly; feeling contented himself as his hands idly stroked over the younger man's thighs and legs, "Mmmnnn," he moaned softly and lazily pressed soft kisses. "Forgive me if that was a little forward, but I regret nothing."

Ronald, still breathing hard, tightened his grip on William's hair again, pulling him up into a deep kiss, "Forward? Now I owe you a little something. I couldn't touch you back much when you were down there."

William hissed softly as he was pulled up by his hair and groaned into Ron's kiss. He gave the blond a small smirk and quirked an eyebrow when the kiss parted, "I assure you I got plenty from that," he said with a soft purr trailing after his words. "But what do you have in mind?"

"Then maybe I'm greedy." Ronald whispered, yanking the older reaper into his lips again and lowering them back onto the couch, his hands running down William's body to his pants, rubbing at the bulge already straining against the fabric and zipper.

William groaned again with Ron's insistent kissing and pulling. Apparently, the blond was just as hungry as he was, and Will would not fight it. He realized that he could not deny Ron anything and he wouldn't deny him this. Feeling the younger reaper palm his erection through his pants, Will shuddered and shallowly rolled his hips in reaction. He reached down and popped open his pants with a sigh, grabbed Ron's wrist and guided his hand to his pulsing shaft, and bit his lip at the contact, "Then take what you want," Will panted.

Ronald pulled him back down into the kiss and ran his hand along William's shaft, stroking it with different lengths and tightness', his free hand moving down to push William's pants down, allowing him to speed up his stroking.

Will moaned long and low into Ron's mouth from his ministrations, shaking slightly from the intensity he felt. He wanted to buck his hips, but the positioning was all wrong and it wasn't out here on the couch that he wanted to be. Summoning every ounce of his willpower, he reached down again and grabbed Ron's wrist to stop his stroking and took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"No, not yet," he panted and kissed Ron again, pulling the blond's arms over his shoulders and hooking his legs around his waist as he picked the younger reaper up and stood. He braced him beneath his thighs and took the opportunity to sneak in a grope or two to Ron's exposed rear as he carried him towards the bedroom. Ronald had gotten all to used to used to being carried, letting it happen and hugging himself to William's shoulders as they left their discarded clothes and the platter of fruit behind and entered the bedroom.

During the journey to their destination, William pinned Ron to the door frame to shuffle out of his pants, covering his mouth with a clumsy kiss, but soon after was swept up into a much more satisfying one just as he was about to tumble Ron into bed; the blond having turned William's chin and captured his lips in a heated kiss with a hum of satisfaction. William kneaded the flesh in his hands and groaned into the blond's mouth, his desire increasing with Ron's. Without breaking the kiss, he did manage to tumble the younger man into the bed and fell between his bare thighs with ease. The contact made him hiss against the other's lips and he pulled away slightly.

"Is this big enough for you?" asked with a roll of the hips and a smirk. "The bed, I mean."

"Mmm…Bed? Oh, yes, perfect…" Ronald grinned, wrapping his legs around William and not looking at the new bed that they would be sharing from that night on. He grabbed the back of Will's neck and pulled him down, nibbling on his collarbone. His hand sliding back down to the other's length, pausing on it's way down to press into the spot below his ribs.

As Will was pulled down into Ron's arms and wrapped in his legs, he truly felt like he was home. It felt so good and natural and right to fall upon Ron this way, as if he was made to lay against him. He was almost tempted to do just that... "I'm glad it meets your approva-AHL!" He gasped as the blond's teasing fingers trailed over that sensitive spot just under his ribs and he shuddered in reaction. No, Ronald Knox was going to reap what he had sown! He shivered from blond's devious touches and scooted him up further on the bed to prop Ron against the fluffy pillows. He then stealthily reached up under a pillow and withdrew a small bottle of oil. Will hadn't been sure if they were going to take things very far tonight, but he wanted to be prepared anyway. He discretely popped open the bottle, distracting Ron with a vicious kiss and bucking into his hand, and coated his fingers then pressed said fingers against Ron's entrance with a chuckle against his lips.

Ronald smirked against his lips, "Nice to know you can make such sounds—mph." He said, his words suddenly muffled with another kiss. The rest of his sentence was lost in the vigorous dance between their tongues. William's chuckle, and his suddenly slickened fingers teasing him, the blond felt his cheeks flush. He pulled William's tongue into his mouth further and sucked on it, shifting his hips in a way to press against William's fingers, letting him know he wasn't opposed to the idea.

"I am capable of all manner of noises when the right person touches me," William said with a smirk. "Though they must meet certain criteria. It's very exclusive, you see," William said as he continued his teasing, slowly and gently sliding a finger into Ron as he kissed and nibbled at his neck. "Namely, they must be you," he said softly into Ron's ear as he pumped his finger a few times before slowly adding another and caught the younger reaper up in another kiss. He wrapped fingers around Ron's shaft once more to stroke in time with the fingers in his body, scissoring and stretching him in anticipation.

Ronald's gasp was trapped by William's lips, caught in his mouth until it turned into a low moan that slid out slightly muffled. His fingers tightened around William's member as he pumped his hand along it. His back arched upwards slightly till their bodies pressed against each other.

"Ron..." William groaned softly as he continued to pleasure the blond, taking every sound he made to heart as his desire and need built. Unable to wait any longer, he removed his fingers and pressed as much of his body against the other's as possible as he positioned himself and touched his forehead to Ron's as he slid into the younger reaper slowly and gently. The tightness and heat drew a long gasp and a growling moan from him as he sank home and he paused, waiting for the younger reaper to adjust, and he savored the feel of being surrounded by him. Panting, he pressed the side of his face against Ronald's and brought his hand up to caress over his cheek as his heart hammered in his chest. He'd waited for this moment for a long time. After their first dance, he knew he wanted to keep the bubbly young man in his arms, though even before then, he knew he'd wanted to at least hold him. Hearing about his life as a mortal, nearly losing him, sharing his recovery...all of it had pulled on emotions practically foreign in William and inspired others to grow. He knew what it was that made him so happy and content to just be like this. To laugh and smile and to give as he wanted... "I love you, Ronald Knox," William whispered softly into his ear.

"Nnnmh-H!" Ronald's moan hitched as he stretched around William. He hugged the man tightly, his short nails scratching his back in reaction. It was painful; he had known it would be, but he had never actually gone this far with anyone before. The sensation, the mix of pain and pleasure took him by surprise. He forced himself to relax and after a moment the pain started to wane. Leaving only the strange, yet pleasurable sensation of having William sheathed inside him. He moaned, letting out the breath he had been unknowingly holding. Then he parted his lips, about to moan out William's name; "Wi—" William's soft whisper interrupted him, his moan caught in his throat. He blushed harder, and he chose to ignore the tears that formed in the corners of his eyes. He slid his hands up, hooking one hand across his back and over his opposite shoulder, the other hand sliding up into dark locks. "…I…love you too, William…" he whispered brokenly, his emotions feeling a little overwhelming.

William nuzzled the other's neck, feeling warm and joyous having told Ron how he felt. He thought it would hurt, that exposing himself in such a way would only cause pain, but, no, just saying it out loud was amazingly freeing and uplifting. So when Ronald whispered the same words back, his voice soft, words broken, William felt that joy double and he swore he felt himself grow harder. Surely Ron could feel how fast his heart was beating, how hot his blood was running?

Will moved to take Ron's lips again, softly, sweetly, cradling his face in his hands as he conveyed the words again voicelessly with his kiss. He stroked fingers through his two tone hair, unable to stop touching him. Will rolled his hips shallowly, pulling out slightly and moving back in with a groan against Ron's lips, and again as he wanted to make sure the blond was comfortable. He wanted to be gentle, to actually make _love_ as he never had before, so he controlled his movements, kissed Ron lovingly, and held him tight.

The movements inside the blond coaxed out small moans and gasps, each muffled by William's mouth. He tightened his hold on the man, kissing him back and rolling his hips up to meet with William's movements. "Will…" he gasped out when their kiss broke momentarily, being reconnected immediately after. His hands wouldn't stop moving, memorizing and testing every inch of skin on William's chest, stomach, back, and arms.

William was filled with adoration for the man in his arms and returned his passion in kind. His hands stroked down Ron's back and sides as his thrusts became crisper and longer and his own sounds of passion came more frequently and louder. He kissed the blond fervently as one hand reached up to toy with the errant curl that was just begging to be pulled.

"Ahnhhh!" Ronald's body arched up against William's his fingers twitching against the man's sides and his agape mouth broke the kiss to let out his loud moan. His body had already been satisfied once that evening, yet he felt the dull throb of another building need for release. "Nnnn….Wiiilllll…"

The older reaper's thrusts became more forceful as his desire built incredibly. He was panting from the effort and reveling in Ron's body as he continued to tease, but the telltale pressure was building fast again and he knew he wouldn't be long...especially since Ron's moans were driving him mad. He abandoned the curl to reach between them and grasped the younger reaper's shaft to pump him along with his thrusts. Will shivered and pressed his forehead to the blond's as he groaned and tried to hold back, his thrusts becoming erratic. "Ron..." he groaned desperately then lost it as his breath hitched, his spine bowed and he gave over to his climax, filling his lover as he shuddered and moaned out Ron's name long and low.

Ronald grit his teeth, letting out a low groan as his lover climaxed, then his small noise grew to a loud cry, his own climax washing over him, his seed coating William's hand as well as his own stomach. He clasped onto William as he road out the waves of pleasure until his body fell weakly back against the pillows beneath them, his breath heavy as he opened his eyes to gaze up at William.

With Ronald's completion, William collapsed onto his chest to take in the moment and found he was oddly soothed by the sound of Ron's heart as it began to slow back to a normal pace. He almost couldn't believe it was happening as everything had a slightly hazy feel, though it was definitely euphoric. He felt the younger reaper relax against the pillows and though he was reluctant to part, he pulled out of him to press against his side and caress his cheek. When green eyes opened, William leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Ron's lips, "I know it wasn't exactly a party, but I hope it will do," he laughed softly and kissed him again.

"Party of two…" Ronald smiled once he found his voice again, rolling onto his side to look into William's eyes and slide an arm around him, "May be my new favorite kind of party."

"In my opinion, that is the best kind of party." William moved to bring himself even closer to Ron and wrap the younger man in his arms and held his gaze. He had told Ronald that he loved him, but he had whispered it into his ear. While he had been sincere when he had said it, he wanted Ron to see it in his eyes and to see Ron's reaction to it. "I meant what I said, you know," he said as he smiled softly. "I love you."

Ronald's face brightened more. He tilted his head to catch William's lips with his, kissing him passionately, "I swear you are trying to turn my face red permanently…You're lucky I love you back. Otherwise I don't think I could survive blushing this much." He whispered smirking softly and meeting William's gaze.

William couldn't find anything better to say and instead returned Ron's kiss with a smile and pulled the younger reaper against his chest to bury his nose into blond locks. For the first time since becoming a reaper, he felt truly content in every aspect. Absolutely nothing mattered save for the man in his arms.

* * *

To be continued...


	12. Chapter 12

"Grell, we are going to be late if you don't hurry up." Alan scolded the redhead, grabbing him by the back of his collar and pulling him away from a shop window where the redhead was lusting after a red gown on display.

"But it wouldn't take long! I swear! Come on, Al, please?" Grell turned around and pounced on the brunet, pawing at his shoulders, "Please?"

"We are on the clock, Grell. You know you can come back when you get off work and be fitted properly for that dress and fifty more should it strike your fancy."

"Oh you're no fun when we are supposed to be working. There is nothing wrong with taking a small break and indulge ourselves in a small shopping trip, Al."

"There is when we are on our way to a collection." Alan said, rolling his eyes as the redhead hung off him.

"Well…fine! Then come shopping with me after work! Who knows, we may find the perfect thing for you to really catch your darling Eric's eye~ Relight that fire of passion, perhaps?" he wiggled.

"Alright, but we are shopping for you. I don't want you trying to put me into another dress again. They suit you much better than they do me." Alan chuckled, shaking his head, "Now come on, I'm sure Eric and William are already there."

William looked at his watch yet again as he and Eric hurried to the reaping site. They were running slightly late due to an unforeseen scheduling issue and William did not allow Eric to go without him. It was a significant amount of souls to collect and though it would have been easier to just let him go, Will didn't want him to go without back up in tow. Such a large amount of souls would inevitably draw demons and traveling alone was simply stupid.

"Lookin' at your watch isn't gonna make us go any faster," Eric said with a grin as he hurried alongside William as they dashed over rooftops.

"I am aware of that," William said crisply. "I am more worried about Humphries and Sutcliff. They are likely already there and if that is the case, then-"

"Don't worry about Al n' Grell. They're fine."

Still, William hurried. He disliked being late to anything. As they picked up the pace, he noted a familiar blur of red in the street below, "Eric..."

"Yeah, I see him...and there's Al right behind him! See? I told ya!"

Without losing speed, they dropped to the street below and caught up to the pair ahead of them.

"Running late are we, gentlemen?" William asked as he caught up to them.

"No later than you two!" Grell said, then turned to Alan, "See, Al? We totally had time!"

"Then we would have been even more behind." Alan sighed, shaking his head and flashing a smile at Eric, "Get caught up in paperwork or something?" he asked, pressing forward towards the factory.

"Wasn't my fault this time! Boss here wouldn't let me go without him so I was waiting. Why? Couldn't wait to see me?" Eric replied, grinning back at Alan.

Alan blushed, "O-of course not! I was just curious as to why William was late. It's unusual."

"There was a scheduling conflict," William said curtly. "Let's just get there before any scavengers beat us to it."

"Ah~ No time for flirting, Al, we have work so you can take me shopping like you promised!" Grell said, grabbing Eric and Alan by their ties and pulling them into the factory.

The redhead stopped dead in his tracks. Death was in the air, he could sense it, and the evidence of the accident that had taken so many lives was still burning around the large room. Yet, there was a noticeable lack of human bodies.

"…What the Bloody Hell?" Grell muttered, releasing the other two reapers and looking around the room for the bodies housing the souls they needed to collect.

"…This…is….where is everyone?" Alan asked, walking cautiously into the center of the room.

"This isn't good..." Eric murmured as he lowered his saw to his side rather than in the usual casual position on his shoulder.

William adjusted his glasses and scanned the area carefully, "There are no human authorities yet on the scene and even if many managed to escape, the collection list is too large for there to be no bodies present. Perhaps they are sequestered elsewhere. Look around, but be extremely cautious. Alan, Grell, you investigate down here, Eric and I will take the second floor," William said as he headed for the stairs.

"Oi! Will! Wait up!" he said as he ran after William, then looked over his shoulder and winked at Alan. "Be careful, Al."

Grell and Alan both nodded and started to comb over the floor of the factory for any clue. After a few minutes, the redhead became frustrated and grabbed the file Alan kept under his arm, opening it up to double check the details on the collection, "We are in the right place, right? There is just no way tha—what?" flipping the page to the first victim of the accident, Grell stopped dead in his tracks when he found himself staring at a blank sheet of paper. He flipped through the pages, finding them all blank, knowing that they had been full before they had left the Shinigami headquarters. "...they... don't..." He held up the stalk of blank papers for Alan to see.

Alan's eyes widened, taking the file from Grell "The reap list...is _blank_? Then... what are we-?"

Grell shook his head, "I don't know…this has _never_ happened before. Lists don't just go blank!"

"We should get out of here... _quickly_ …" Alan started to back up towards the door, eyes scanning around the factory in terror.

"I agree... You get out, I'll tell the boys upstairs." Grell said, turning and stepping towards the metal steps leading up to the offices, suddenly tripping over a body that hadn't been there before. He groaned, pushing himself back up, looking at what had tripped him; the body of one of the workers that had disappeared. He jumped up to his feet, looking around at the room, now littered with bodies of dead workers. "What in the...? Where? When? ..." He opened the file again, finding them all still blank, "Alan... I think we need to get out faster..." he breathed.

William did a quick sweep of the second floor only to find empty offices and a few storage rooms, but no sign of any bodies. Eric approached him from the other end of the hallway with a shrug.

"Couldn't find anything, boss. It's not right. Something feels really bloody wrong about all of this, ya know?"

"Yes, I do," William nodded as he produced the ledger to look over the specifics. The location was right, but...the list was empty. That wasn't right at all. Without a word he motioned to Eric to follow him and headed for the stairs again. As he started descending, a corpse was suddenly sprawled at his feet over the steps. His attention snapped to the factory floor where he saw Grell and Alan still, but now they were surrounded by corpses.

"Oh shit..." Eric whispered as he brought up his scythe.

"My thoughts exactly," William said as he adjusted his glasses and hurried down the stairs. "Out! Now!" he barked at the other reapers.

"Oh good, the boys are back. Hurry!" Grell said, heaving his chainsaw up onto his shoulder as he began to run for the door ahead of everyone. He skidded to a stop, catching sight of movement out the corner of his eye. He turned and stared as a dead body started to push himself to his feet. "Oh~ Looks like someone wants to play~"

Another worker got to his feet, and then another, and then three more until each dead body was standing, dead eyes staring at nothing as they took slow uneasy steps towards the reaper closest to them.

"What….How…?" Alan gasped, breathing hard as he watched the bodies.

"Oh~ How familiar this is~ Unnie, Are you having fun again?" Grell giggled swinging his roaring scythe at the worker that reached out to grab him. The blade of his scythe ripped deep into the corpse, stopping half way through, and it stopped working. "…What?"

The assumed Bizarre Doll gave a lop-sided grin, grabbing him and opening his mouth, his Cinematic records shooting out his mouth, pitch black. "Hostiles!" Grell yelled, Jumping back just before the hostile soul grabbed him.

Like a chain reaction, all the bodies opened their mouths, letting out the attacking cinematic records.

Alan gasped, panic setting in, and a cough making itself known, one hand clutching his chest over his heart.

Above them, a figure in the shadows watched the four reapers, "I bid you gentlemen goodbye." he chuckled before he disappeared.

William, too, had initially thought this was another ploy by Undertaker, but how would the man possibly be able to make bodies disappear then reappear like that?

Eric moved closer to Alan and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's fine Al, calm down. Breathe," he said calmly, preparing his scythe. He'd heard about the Bizarre Dolls from Ron and he knew it wouldn't be hard to take them down, but as soon as he saw the black reels spill out of the one Grell had attacked, his heart hammered in his chest. He was slightly horrified by the sight of all the others following suit. At the sound of Alan's cough, Eric moved to defend the smaller reaper from oncoming attacks. "Alan, come on! We're going to be fine! Just breathe!" he said firmly as he swiped at the black records that tried to attack them.

William immediately pulled out his secondary scythe and tossed it to Grell as he turned his attention to the voice coming from above. He glared and shot his scythe where the figure had been but knew it was fruitless as he had to pull it back almost immediately to defend himself from the corrupted reels attempting to attack him.

"Eric, grab Alan and let's go!" he shouted as he moved towards them and slashed at the records to clear a path for them.

"Come on, Al, we gotta go!"

Grell giggled, clipping the tainted records to pieces as he danced around the room, "Leaving so soon? But the fun had just started!" He used the extendable scythe to pole-vault his way over a group of workers, swinging the scythe around to knock them over as soon as his foot touched the ground again.

Alan coughed again, gasping as one of his attacks started up, and he leaned against Eric, swinging his scythe to the side to cut records that were aimed at the two of them. "Er—ic…We…have to get—out." he choked, his knees buckling and threatening to make him collapse.

"Grell _one_ almost killed Ron! How do you think we'll fare in a factory full of them? Now retreat! That is an order." William snapped as he continued to try and clear a path to Eric and Alan.

Meanwhile, Eric slung one of Alan's arms over his shoulders. "Come on, keep on your lazy feet. I'd carry ya, but you're too fat, Al," Eric snickered try to get a rise out Alan and see if he could get him to hold on. Even as he did that, he slashed and swiped as he yanked Alan along, doing as best he could until one of the records slipped past him and wrapped around his knee. He grunted in pain but it didn't last long as William approached and cut it away before it could do much more damage.

"Sh-shut up." Alan coughed, feeling his attack getting worse, yet he grabbed a hold of his lover all the same.

William continued to keep as many off of Eric and Alan as possible, but felt the familiar sting of the records himself a few times. He looked over to Grell wondering why he wasn't helping to cover them only to see him still toying with the things. "Damn it, Sutcliff, I said retreat!"

"Oh you really are no fun! Fine I'll clear a path to the d—ahhghhh!" Grell cried out in anger as a strand of tainted reels caught his cheek, cutting and burning his skin before he clipped it away, "My—How _dare_ you harm a maiden's face! Bondage is fun but never— _never_ harm the face you sadistic idiot!" Grell screamed in rage, sending the scythe into the neck of the worker that reel had come from, cutting his head clean off.

Alan was sounding worse and William was worried what might happen if he was exposed to the corrupted records on top of the Thorns. It would only be disastrous.

"Eric, your orders are to get Alan to safety and retrieve back-up immediately!"

"I'm tryin', boss!" Eric said with a grin as he kept clearing a path, still trying to keep up the mood as he carried Alan's near dead weight. They were going to get out of there no matter what. He was going to make sure of it.

William continued to provide cover for the two and had just gotten them out the door when a corrupted record wrapped around his leg and yanked him back inside.

Eric nearly dropped Alan and went after William when the supervisor hopped back into sight favoring his left leg.

"Don't even think about it, Slingby! Sutcliff and I will secure the area as best we can. You have your orders! Go!" he snapped and ran back inside to go after Grell.

Eric scooped Alan up and made a mad dash back to headquarters to retrieve backup.

William dashed inside, slashing and cutting, jumping as best he could with he re-injured leg. "Sutcliff!" he shouted to get the redhead's attention. "We need to get out of here and try to keep them contained within the factory until backup arrives. Now get the hell _out_!" He shot his scythe at an errant reel that had been about to wrap around Grell's ankle when there was a sudden pull to his arm, a sickening crack, and his scythe went flying as pain shot up his arm. A record had wrapped around his elbow and was crushing the bones and burning his skin. Fighting through the pain, he tried to rip himself away but he suddenly found himself faceplanting as another reel wrapped about his bad ankle and dragged him off his feet.

"Like Hell am I going to get out and let you have all the fun!" Grell called out, sending the scythe at the reels, only to have to retract the scythe and clip away at some reaching for him. "Nngh,"

There was a flash of silver, and a training scythe issued to every student reaper in their last year of the academy flew into the room, cutting through the records wrapping around William, then it turned like a boomerang and returned to the figure leaning on a cane in the open door: Ronald Knox.

The young reaper had gotten out of his therapy and rather than walking home right after, he had decided to take a leisurely walk until he sensed that something wasn't right. The red marks still on his skin; and his weaker leg had started to throb painfully. Soon after he saw Eric and Alan running back towards headquarters, so he came to investigate. "Will! Grell-senpai!"

As soon as he was freed, William scooped up his scythe with his good arm and stumbled towards the door.

"Ron, get out of here!" he roared. The memory of seeing him wrapped in the horrifying black records was still too fresh in his mind and he couldn't bear the thought of it happening again. He dashed towards him, still parrying oncoming reels as he ran to escape the onslaught. "Grell! Come on!" he yelled over his shoulder.

Will made it to the door and pulled Ron with him as he tried to put a bit of a distance between them and the factory, but not far enough away that he couldn't rush back in to get Grell if necessary. "What are you doing here?" he panted. "You need to leave!"

"I'm not here looking for trouble! Honest. I was just…passing by and thought I'd help save your ass from turning out looking like mine had." The blond said, leaning heavily on his cane.

Grell dashed out of the factory, slamming the doors shut and using a metal bar from the ground nearby to lock the doors. He leaned against them, then stiffened, realizing one had gotten out before him, and was slinking up behind William and Ronald.

"You shouldn't be anywhere near here, Ron, get out of-"

"Will!" Ronald gasped, seeing the Hostile Doll approaching them. His old training scythe had little to no reach so he threw it, the blade cutting into the worker's skull and getting stuck. A few records fell away and vanished, but more took their place, reaching out for the two of them and grabbing hold, wrapping them together and squeezing there torsos together painfully. "Gaahh!"

William didn't have time to bring his scythe before they were wrapped tight together. He grunted in pain and somewhere in the very back of his mind he thought:

_If this is the end, at least we're together..._

Forwardly, he struggled ferociously, writhing and snarling at the reels, trying to rip at them with both hands because he was determined not to go down without a fight and he certainly wasn't going to let them take Ronald again!

William's back-up scythe extended forward, cutting all the records at the Doll's mouth, sending the two reapers plummeting to the ground. There was a flash of red and Grell kicked the Doll to the ground, standing on his chest and digging the blades of the scythe deep into his chest, causing blood to squirt out, covering Grell and Ronald both, William being further away was spared the mess. Grell didn't stop; clipping the body to peaces until it stopped moving completely and no more tainted reels sprang forward.

William had landed on his bad ankle yet again. He grunted in pain again, but ignored it so he could drag himself over to Ron and look him over while Grell went to town tearing apart the corpse. "Ron? Are you alright?" he said as he patted the blond all over to check what damage had been done, but looked up when the redhead wandered over.

The redhead grinned, wiggling as he walked over to the two fallen reapers and stooping down, "Looks like you two owe me~" he giggled, whipping up a large drop of blood from Ronald's cheek, "Oh, Ronnie, you look adorable covered in blood~"

"Thank you, Grell..." William sighed.

Ronald smiled, wincing in pain, "Well, No one is dead, so I'm good, even if I did just set back my healing a little."

Grell nudged William with his foot, "Hey, Will, My scythe is still in there. Can I be on the clean-up crew? Pretty please?"

Will nodded at Ron and caressed the side of his face gently, "We both need to go to the infirmary after this. I know for a fact my arm is broken and I believe my ankle is broken again as well. Not to mention from the looks of things, we both require testing again," he sighed before getting to his feet and making sure he had his scythe at the ready. The hostile souls were inside the factory, but he couldn't afford to be caught off guard again. "I don't think we are going to have much of a choice in the matter, Grell," William said looking to the redhead. "But _wait_ until the rest arrive and you are to report to the infirmary immediately after."

"Fine, fine~" Grell said, sitting down on a nearby crate.

"Uhg, I just got out of that place." Ronald sighed, using his cane to push himself up. "Why were they moving? Don't tell me that crazy old kook is in on this whole Hostile soul thing now."

"Don't blame my Unnie for this! If he ever was making Dolls again he wouldn't include Hostiles!" Grell hissed.

"I haven't the faintest idea who is behind all this, but this was obviously a trap. I didn't get a good look at the bastard because I was too busy falling into his plan," William scowled, disappointed in himself.

It wasn't very long before Eric showed up again with several more reapers in tow. William gave them warning about the dangers of the hostile souls and gave the order to clean up the site.

* * *

To be continued...


	13. Chapter 13

"You know, Just because I happen to think you two are adorable and I like to watch you two interact with each other does not mean you have to get yourselves hurt to come back and see me." Vivian teased as she wrapped William's arm in a cast and helped him into a sling. Ronald lay on the bed next to William, another nurse wrapping his torso so that he wouldn't do more damage to his back. His weakened bones had cracked and fractured under the pressure, but Grell had been quick to get them free that there was no serious damage to his bones that needed to be surgically seen to. Their blood samples had already been taken and sent to be tested.

"Oh, but Miss Vivian, since you haven't let us take you out yet, we thought we'd bring the date to you," Ron smiled softly at her.

"These Hostile Souls really are keeping us busy today." The other nurse said, "This is actually the second attack today. Luckily, there has been no infections from that first attack. Alan Humphries, however, somehow got infected without getting cut. He's in surgery. The Doctors think that the Hostile Souls were drawn to his Thorns. It set off an attack."

Will shook his head a little sadly at the news about Alan, "I should have gotten him out of there sooner..."

"Wasn't nothin' you could do, Will. None of us coulda seen that comin'," said Eric as he suddenly appeared at the door and sauntered in. "Well if this ain't familiar? 'Cept yer both bedridden now!"

"Eric? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be...?"

"Can't do anything for Al while he's under the knife and I already checked out clean so I came ta see what happened to you two. Way to go, Will, fuckin' up the same ankle!"

"Oh hush you; less I put your own arse into a hospital bed." Ronald joked, "Besides, this isn't nearly as bad as last time.

"Bad enough! You're an idiot for getting yourself hurt again," Eric scoffed.

"I agree. But if he hadn't been there, my injuries would be far worse than broken bones," William sighed. "We need to do a full scale investigation and put a stop to this. Did you get a better look at who was in the warehouse before everything went to hell?"

"Naw, sorry, Will. I was kinda focused on Al."

"Well, My only guess is that it's the Undertaker because those corpse' were moving. But I swear Grell-senpai was about to send that scythe into me when I suggested it…Seems he and the old kook have gotten quite close." Ronald shrugged, ignoring Eric's comment.

"Speaking to Undertaker is certainly on the list. If Grell isn't hiding anything from us and Undertaker is not responsible for this, he may have some answers or knows someone who might," William said with a nod.

"And if he is?" Eric asked carefully.

"Then we do what we must. We cannot keep losing reapers to this. We keep getting away only injured, but eventually someone is going to die."

Vivian smacked William's broken arm lightly, just hard enough to send pain up through it; "We'll have no talk of death in this hospital! It's bad luck!" Will winced when Vivian smacked him.

"But it is getting ridiculous… I mean, one Hostile Soul is bad enough, but an army of them that can actually walk around?" Ronald said, moving to sit up, only to be pushed back down by the nurse.

Eric leaned against the wall and watched as the other two got bandaged up, tapping his foot and glancing back to the door a lot.

"Fine then, instead of a five star restaurant, we shall be going to a three," Will quipped with a raised eyebrow after being smacked. "And I am not wishing it on anyone which is why it is so important that we do something about this as soon as possible. Will I be able to walk?"

"No, not for a few days. Luckily the damage was not done directly by the soul, and it'll heel quickly. So use your cane again.

"What about me?" Ronald asked, "Please tell me I can go home."

William groaned in irritation at the thought of being unable to take up the investigation immediately simply because he couldn't walk, but took note of Eric's twitchy behavior, "Eric, sit down before you're tempted to run out of here. Alan is going to be fine. There is no need to worry," William said softly, but he could sense the tension coming off the man. It was just like when he'd been waiting to hear about Ron...

"I'm not worried," Eric said with an obviously forced grin. "I know he'll be fine...he has to be..." he said as he moved to sit and rubbed the back of his head. "Alright, maybe I'm a lil' worried that some of the last words I said to him 'fore he passed out were that he was fat and lazy," Eric said with a soft laugh, his smile not quite reaching his eyes as he looked at his hands. "Poor thing don't weigh a damn thing. He's gonna be mad when he wakes up."

"Gives ya something to look forward to, don't it?" Ronald grinned, "I have no doubt he'll wake up, if for nothing else, just to yell at ya." He tried to sit up again.

"Mister Knox! If you move one more time before I am done making sure your bones are all in the right place, I'll tie you down and wont let you up until you are _fully_ healed in a year or so!" the nurse scolded, pushing him back down.

"Well, you never answered my question."

"It depends on if you can stay still or not!"

"Yeah, he's gonna ream me good," Eric said with a slightly more honest smile. "Just hope this doesn't make things worse for him. I tell you though, it felt bloody good tearin' those things to shreds durin' clean up."

William laughed softly, "There is something to be said for letting off a bit of steam that way. Then he looked over at the nurse that was tending to Ron, "He does not like to be tied down and will find a way to wiggle out of his bindings. If he must be restrained, I suggest something a little stronger than rope," William said with a mostly straight face but a ghost of a smile was on his lips.

Ronald's eyes widened at William, his cheeks going pink before he turned his face away, "Maybe we should switch subjects…" he suggested.

"Ugh, you two!" Eric groaned and rolled his eyes.

Will grinned a little smugly at Ron.

Vivian stood up, "I'll go get your test results on if you two are clear or not." She left briefly and came back, "Looks like you both are in the clear and can go home after this…oh, and Ronnie…No more going for a walk alone where you are free to run after trouble."

Will looked to Vivian when she came back, "Well, that is a relief. And I will be sure to keep him on a short leash."

"Hey, You're supposed to be my lover, Will, not my father. I don't need a nanny."

"Obviously, you do. You aren't out of the hospital for even a full week and here you are back again because you ran into a rather large attack of Hostile Souls….and stay down!" The nurse working on Ronald's bandages said, shoving him back down forcefully, "Honestly! You can't even follow simple orders that will help you heal faster!

Ronald rolled his eyes, "But I'm obviously fine, my back didn't re-break, other wise I wouldn't have walked in here or be able to try sitting up."

"Fine! If you want to chance one of your broken ribs to shift out of place and leave you a deformed freak the rest of your immortal reaper existence, then go on, sit up before I'm done doing my job."

"I've no intention of being any sort of parental figure, Ron. I'm sure I can think of a persuasive way to keep you on your back," William said with another smug smirk. "But for both our sakes, let her do her job."

Ronald blushed harder and forced himself to stay down, mumbling something about William being secretly horny.

Another nurse walked in and looked at Eric, "Mister Slingby? Mister Humphries is out of surgery."

"Well, gents, that's my cue!" Eric said as he pushed himself off the wall. "Anything ya want me to tell Al when he wakes up?"

William shook his head. "I will be sure to tell him myself. If you want someone to look after him when you need rest, let me know and I will come sit with him. It's the least I can do."

"Thanks, Will," Eric said with a nod.

* * *

 

Alan let out one last weak cough that had caught in his throat when he lost consciousness and stopped breathing when before he had reached the hospital, and his green eyes fluttered open, looking around. He reached out for his glasses and slipped them on as he shifted up to sit, leaning against the pristine white pillows of the hospital. He smiled, seeing Eric reading next to him.

"Mornin' sunshine!" Eric said with a grin as he tried not to look too excited and relieved with Alan gaining consciousness. "I thought you were never gonna wake up! I already finished War an' Peace waitin' for ya."

"…Was my attack really that bad? How long was I out for?" Alan asked, still a little groggy. He was used to his attacks and their after effects, but his body felt more sluggish than usual.

"Wasn't a regular attack, Al. Apparently ya got some Hostile soul in ya and the docs had to go in and surgically remove it. You've been out fer almost a whole day. I was just kiddin' about the book," he said with a smile, reaching over to touch Alan's cheek gently. "Ya had me scared though."

Alan frowned, "But I wasn't even touched by one…was I?"

"No, you were not." A doctor said, walking in, "It's good to see you awake again, Mister Humphries."

Alan smiled at the doctor, "Thank you for helping me again, Doctor."

"Of course. But we have something serious to discuss now that you are awake.

Eric looked up as the doctor came in and pulled his hand away from Alan's cheek.

"There somethin' wrong, doc?" Eric asked, seemingly casual, but his heart was racing thinking that the exposure to the hostile souls made Alan's condition worse.

"It depends on how you look at it. After we removed the particles of the Hostile Soul, we ran some tests to make sure it did not make any changes to the Thorns of Death already attacking your heart. Seeing as the two are similar in such regards…We feared that it would have shortened the time you have left. But our test results…We had to double check it and rerun the tests two more times before we could believe what we were seeing." He said, flipping open a file.

"What did ya find, doc?" Eric asked, not sure if he should get his hope up.

"We think…" he handed the file over so the two men could read it, "That we have found a cure."

Alan stared in shock at the file.

"What? You did?!" Eric shouted as he moved to read over Alan's shoulder. "Hostile souls are the bloody cure? How?"

"Our research team is looking into how it works, but it has reversed Mister Humphries' Thorns' progress by nearly five years worth of attacks. But, we removed the Hostile soul particles too soon and his Thorns have resumed their attack. We believe that should the Hostile Soul be left in longer, he could be cured completely before it starts to attack his body. One theory is that both Thorns and the Particles act similar to a parasite. But there is not room enough for both to survive in a single body. Obviously the Particles are the stronger parasite and attack the Thorns.

"However, this cure is risky. We have to wait for all our testing to be finished, but we believe that you were infected so easily because of your compromised immune system, and should you be infected again…" The doctor frowned, "It could kill you faster than the average Reaper, as well as turning you into a host of a fully developed Hostile Soul. We would have a very small window to remove the particles between your cure, and your death."

Eric blinked as he processed the information. If it were him, he'd try for the cure, no matter the risks. But this was Alan and with such a cure presented, he wasn't sure if he wanted his lover to take the same risk...it would be a faster death, but a worse one in the end... "Well if that ain't a case of fightin' fire with fire!" Eric whistled. "Whatcha think about that, Al?"

Alan was silent for a long moment before looking up at Eric, "…I don't know." He said in a low voice, "The risk…"

"It's a big risk, but the decision isn't mine. Whatever you choose to do, I'll support ya, you know that."

"I don't know if I could choose." Alan said.

"You don't have to…not now. We wouldn't even think to try this until we are sure of all the risks and if it'll actually work completely." The doctor added, "We just thought you should be awair."

"Well, that gives ya some time ta think about it...Kinda scary though, isn't it?" Eric said, still grinning.

"Kind of? It could take me away from you faster." Alan said, blushing. He rarely ever openly said things that brought their relationship into the spotlight in front of other people.

Eric couldn't stop himself from blushing and rubbed the back of his neck as he grinned sheepishly, "Aw, Al, I appreciate ya thinkin' about me, but this is about you."

"Who said it was for you? I don't want to leave and you are not getting rid of me that easy." Alan said stubbornly, "I'm fat and lazy, after all."

"Oh yeah, ya gotta work on yer girlish figure," Eric chuckled. "I knew ya wouldn't forgive me fer that! But if I told ya what I was really thinkin' when I said that crap, it wouldn't've helped at all."

"Then maybe you should have kept your mouth shut and just helped me get out of there." Alan frowned, crossing his arms, "Because never mind the fact that you are the laziest person I know!"

"Oi!" Eric chuckled tapped Alan under the chin. "I'm not lazy where it really counts," he grinned smugly and waggled his eyebrows.

"Oh, like at work? That's when you are at your worst! Sleeping on the job, running late for your collections…"

"Al," Eric said leaning in close. "Shut up." And he proceeded to make Alan do just that by capturing his lips in a kiss.

Alan Blushed, pulling away, "Eric! N-not in front of the doctor!"

The doctor chuckled, "Okay, I'll take my queue to leave. I'll be sure to keep you updated on our research, Mister Humphries."

Eric looked over his shoulder to flash a smile at the doctor. "Thanks, doc!" Then he turned back to Alan, putting hands on either side of his head and leaning in close, "Doc's gone now. Snoggin' time?" he didn't wait for an answer and leaned into kiss Alan again. This time, it was far less chaste and it bordered on desperate. He had been terrified that he was going to lose the smaller reaper, but he couldn't let that show. Now all he wanted was to take what he could while he had the chance, to show Alan how much he had been worrying.

* * *

To be continued...


	14. Chapter 14

Since returning home from the hospital, William had been taking care of all the household chores to allow Ron to rest up properly. However, now that he was without the use of an arm and lame on one leg, he dearly needed assistance. Normally, he would just tough it out, but even the simplest tasks were trying his patience and rather than make things more difficult, he had decided he would seek Ron's help where he could. Other things, he would simply hire others to do. He sent out their laundry since he could not do it with his arm in a cast and Ron could not lift anything heavy, and he had a housekeeper come in and clean, but small things like cooking he refused to not tackle. His first assignment: teach Ron how to cook. Well, at least, have him assist William in cooking.

He was able to do shopping on his own and gathered the ingredients for dinner that night. Upon entering the apartment, he called out to Ron to have him join him in the kitchen.

"I wish you would have let me help you shop. Fresh air isn't the same sitting in a window as it is going out for a walk." Ronald complained as he entered the kitchen, his cane clicking on the wooden floor.

"Then we can go for a walk after dinner," William said, setting down the bag in his arms and setting things out. "Dinner, which you are going to help me cook."

Ronald's shoulders slumped; "This is going to take forever…" he frowned.

"None of that," William chided as he rinsed vegetables in the sink. "I told you before that I was going to teach you how to cook and you are going to start learning now. Now, take these vegetables and chop them up. You can manage that, can't you? There is no fire involved," William said with a smirk as he shoved a cutting board covered in various vegetables towards Ron.

The blond sighed, "Fine….but if I chop off a finger, I'm blaming you! Also, not my fault if it tastes like crap." He said, taking the cutting board and setting it on a counter before grabbing a knife, cutting the vegetable up into large, uneven hunks.

"If you can carry a knife on your person on a daily basis, I expect you can manage to slice a few vegetables without hurting yourself," William said with a small chuckle and a shake of his head as he prepared a skillet and set to cooking some cubed ham.

"That's for stabbing, not chopping." Ronald muttered as he worked.

Once Ron was finished cutting, William took said veggies and tossed them into the skillet. "It's not pretty, but so long as it's edible that is all that matters," he said with a smirk. "Now, can you manage to crack a few eggs?" William asked holding out a bowl and gesturing to the small basket of eggs on the counter. "A dozen?"

"I think cracking eggs aren't a problem. You drop them and they are broken." Ronald sighed, then looked up in thought, "…I think…Grell senpai said something about making sure the shell doesn't get into the inside of the eggs…right?"

William turned and blinked at Ron. Was he serious? He moved the skillet off the burner temporarily.

"You don't drop the egg, Ron, you tap it then crack it," Will said, walking over to him and took an egg from the basket, tapped it on the edge of the bowl, and cracked it open over the bowl one handed. "And, yes, avoid the shell when possible, though fragments are bound to occur. If they do, then fish them out with a fork. Now in your case, do it two handed and tap it against the counter first." William demonstrated by taking a second egg and tapping it against the counter. He brought it up to show Ron the slight indentation it left. "Doing it against a flat surface for a beginner is better since there is less chance of getting fragments into it. Now you just gently press your thumbs along the cracks and pull it open over the bowl," William said, handing Ron the cracked egg. "Gently," he added.

"You do realize that that first bit had been a joke, right?" Ronald chuckled, taking the egg and holding it over the bowl, pressing his thumbs against the crack a little too hard, sending the digit into the center of the egg, causing the yolk to run down over his hand before dropping into the bowl.

William smirked at Ron and shook his head. "It's better to be safe than sorry when teaching someone something new," he laughed softly as he watched Ron. "And do try to get more into the bowl than on yourself. Once you are done with making an eggstraordinary mess, could you beat the eggs together? Though, if you keep this up, you won't have to do much," he chuckled and left a whisk on the counter at Ron's side. He walked back over to the stove to continue sautéing the meat and vegetables, adding various spices.

"And people say you don't have a sense of humor." Ronald chuckled, continuing to messily break the eggs and fishing out bits of the shell with a fork. He washed his hands before using the whisk to beat the eggs together and then he walked over to William, holding the bowl out, "Oh slave-driver Spears, your eggs are ready."

"Seldom do people appreciate my yolks," William said smoothly as he took the bowl from Ron and turned on the oven. "Now, what we are cooking is a frittata. It's easier than an omelet and I think even you can handle this," he said as he poured a little bit of cream and milk into the eggs and stirred. "It's incredibly simple. Pour all of the eggs into the skillet and stir everything together until I tell you to stop. Capisce?" he asked as he handed Ron a spatula.

"Sure. It doesn't _sound_ too hard, at least." Ronald shrugged.

William watched as Ron poured the eggs and stirred appropriately. He made sure to point out that he needed to scrape the bottom and sides of the skillet as the eggs cooked, then told him to let it sit. William borrowed the spatula back to check that the bottom had set up properly then instructed Ron to place the whole thing in the oven.

"Now we leave it for a minute or two to brown on top, then we pull it out, let the residual heat from skillet finish cooking it through and it will be done," William said as he moved to the cabinets to grab plates. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Oh, Horribly. I just about died cracking them eggs." Ronald teased.

"Yes, I know. And that spatula is dreadfully heavy." William set the table, then smiled and approached Ron, "Now you cannot say you cannot cook," he said as he pulled Ron in for a kiss.

"I can say I can not cook alone." Ronald teased against William's lips before returning the kiss, "…Mmm…how long do we have before taking it out of the oven?"

"About now. It only needs a minute or two in the oven, but once it's out, it needs to sit for about twenty minutes to finish cooking through and cool..." he murmured against Ron's lips.

Ronald's lips twitched upwards, "And what shall we do during those twenty minutes, I wonder?"

William pulled away to grab the frittata out of the oven and put it on the stovetop to cool, then pressed Ron against the counter and kissed him deeply with a hum, "I've got an idea..." he whispered over Ron's lips, his hand sliding over his hip. "...The dishes," he said as he pressed a dishtowel against Ron's chest with a smirk and turned around to go to the sink.

The younger reaper frowned, "I think I know what your middle name is now… 'Tease'." He pouted, following him over to the sink.

"Tobias, actually," he smirked as he tossed various dishes into the sink. "And you were the one asking me what we were to do and I merely made a suggestion. If you have another idea in mind, then by all means..."

"No, it's 'Tease' all right." Ronald said, grunting as he momentarily put pressure on his bad leg as he quickly moved forward, pushing William back against the sink and kissing him, "Why do dishes now when there will be more after we eat?" he whispered.

"If you are trying to convince me to change my routine of cleaning as I go, you are going to have to try harder," William said with a smirk as he not-so-subtly pressed his thigh against the blond's groin."...Ronald."

"Cut me some slack. It's not as if I can pick you up and carry you with this bad leg that refuses to heal faster." He said, blushing and biting his lip.

"I am just as bad off as you are, Ron. You won't get any pity from me," William said with a raised eyebrow. "Comfort, on the other hand..."

He trailed off as he leaned in and kissed Ron again, his good hand trailing down the blond's chest to palm over his groin.

Ronald moaned and ran his hand down William's chest, pressing in against that sensitive spot teasingly.

William gasped, breaking the kiss, and reflexively pressed harder against Ron's groin.

"Yes, that is a little more convincing," he said as he swallowed and reconnected their lips in a much fiercer kiss.

With a smirk, the younger reaper grabbed William's tie and pulled him along to the couch, pushing him down onto it and doing the closest thing to a pounce he could with his bad leg.

"If my middle name is 'Teasing', then I believe yours is 'Orgiastic'," Will chuckled then grunted as Ron landed on top of him. "Watch the arm, Ron. I don't need it broken again," he said, wiggling the still casted arm now pinned between their bodies. Though he seemed to be complaining, he put his good arm around the blond, pulled him in for another kiss, and rolled his hips invitingly.

"Oliver, actually." Ronald muttered through his moan against William's lips. He ran his hand down William's arm until his fingers felt the cast holding the bones in their proper place before running it back up and over his shoulder to his jaw, "And don't complain…its not like I could actually pounce on you with these injuries of my own…"

"So what _can_ you do with your injuries, I wonder, Ollie?" William teased and chuckled again. He wasn't what had gotten into him, really, but he was deeply enjoying teasing and flirting with Ron. It was not something he'd ever had opportunity to do before, but the blond just seemed to inspire it in him.

Ronald's eye twitched slightly, "Oh, I don't know, Toby, but why don't we find out?" he smirked, nipping playfully on William's lower lip. "But I seem to remember you telling a nurse you'd find ways to keep me on my back…I don't see that happening at all."

"That is because you won't be seeing much of anything at all," William smirked and snatched Ron's glasses off his face. Before the blond can protest, William crushed his mouth to Ron's as he sat up, pushed the younger reaper backwards, and pinned him to the couch as he set the frames on the table next to them. He didn't waste any time shoving himself between Ron's thighs and grinding against him hard as he deepened the kiss hungrily.

Ronald barely got out a gasp as he was forced back onto the couch, his cane that had been leaning against the sofa getting knocked over and falling to the floor, rolling unnoticed under the couch. He grabbed William's shirt, pulling him tight against him as he kissed back hungrily, his thighs squeezing William's hips as he rolled his own hips up against him.

The older reaper nipped at the blond's lips, sliding their tongues together lewdly as his good hand slid between them, down Ron's chest where he toyed with the buttons of his shirt. Then he broke the kiss and pulled back to reveal he'd merely pulled his pocket watch free and popped it open to look down at it. "We have thirteen minutes," William said as he snapped his watch closed. "I might be able to come up with something." Will smirked as he reached between them again to slide his pocket watch back into his waistcoat pocket and kept continuing further south until he poped open Ron's trousers and slid his hand inside to grip his length firmly.

Ronald moaned, "I don't care about the time, Will…" he rolled his hips and pulled him back down against his lips. He slid his hand down, yanking Will's shirt to untuck it and slide his hand up under the cloth, his fingers pressing firmly against him as he let them wander.

"Perhaps you don't, but letting dinner get cold is not acceptable..." Will murmured against Ron's lips and tightened his grip on the blond's twitching member and stroked him from base to tip hard and slow. He broke their kiss to nuzzle Ron's neck, nipping and sucking as he moved lower to nibble over his collarbone, his strokes remaining firm and lazy.

"Mmm…what do you care? You seem to be having your supper right now…" the blonde moaned, sliding a hand down, dipping it into his pants.

"No, this would be the appetizer..." William purred as he picked up his pace and rolled his hips to meet Ron's hand.

"Well, aren't we getting fancy…but there's a problem… this course of the meal is designed to only tease your appetite." Ronald smirked, sliding his hand down further, his fingers barely brushing the hardened member restrained inside William's pants.

"I lied. The 'O' doesn't stand for 'orgiastic'. It stands for 'overbold'," William said with a soft groan as he bit his lip and paused in his ministrations. "But I can be just as cheeky," he whispered softly as he abandoned Ron's collarbone to nuzzle his ear. "Perhaps I shouldn't ruin my dinner..." he said softly against Ron's ear as he slowly released the shaft in his hand. "Or perhaps I should be a bit of a glutton for once," he chuckled and immediately tightened his grip once more and moved upwards to take the stray curl of hair between his lips to tug softly. It was unconventional, yes, but there was only so much he could do with the use of only one hand.

"Ah!" Ronald let out a gasp, bucking up into William's hand, "T-tease."

"If I were only teasing, you wouldn't be getting this, Ron..."Will murmured as he pumped Ron's shaft in earnest and went back to pulling on his curl of hair.

"You tease…nnn…even when serious…" Ronald moaned with another roll of his hips, his own hand grabbing onto William's length and stroking it.

"I'm glad you noticed-Mnnnn…" William moaned and pressed harder into Ron's hand as his strokes to the blond's member picked up pace. He abandoned the curl of hair to capture Ron's mouth again.

Ronald groaned again, his own movements speeding up as his lips moved hungrily against Will's, smaller gasps escaping into the kiss until his breath hitched, "W-Will…I'm-!"

"Nngh!" Will groaned as Ron's movements sped up and he thrust into the other's fist rather enthusiastically. At the blond's near cry, since he'd broken the kiss anyway, Will ducked down and gave a firm bite to Ron's neck as he kept pumping him in earnest, his own body trembling slightly.

Ronald's gasp hitched and turned into a loud cry as his body arched up slightly, his climax building and then releasing into William's hand. His grip on William's member tightening. "Ah~!"

William gave a few more hearty thrusts into Ron's tight grip and followed him soon after. He groaned and relaxed slightly atop the blond, kissing him lazily. He sat up and smiled down at him simultaneously wiping his hand on Ron's shirt. Without skipping a beat, he pulled out his pocket watch once more and checked the time; "Four minutes to spare," he said nonchalantly as he snapped it closed and rolled off of Ron to head to the washroom.

Before Ron could protest, a wet washcloth was thrown from the doorway to land next to the blond on the couch, and shortly after, a fresh shirt with Will's laughter echoing from the bedroom.

Ronald pushed himself up and cleaned himself off, switching shirts quickly. He then looked around for his glasses and cane, taking a moment to realize where the cane had rolled to, and got up, walking to the bathroom and throwing his soiled shirt into William's laughing face, "Tease. That was cold, checking the time right after, like that."

Will grabbed the shirt and tossed it in the hamper with merely a raised eyebrow. "Cold? Or cleverly efficient?" William said as he approached Ron and fixed the collar of his shirt. "I now know it can take less than ten minutes for both of us to, ahem, 'enjoy' one another, which is useful information considering that is the exact amount of time allotted for coffee breaks," William smirked as he leaned in close.

Ronald's eyes widened and he blushed, "You mean…we can have our own little private party at work sometimes after the doctor lets me return?" he whispered.

"Not officially, no, but no one needs to know what goes on behind closed and locked office doors during breaks, now do they?" William's grin spread as he put his arm around Ron's waist.

"Rare is the office party that is official." Ronald smiled, "Best be sneaky about it, though. Wouldn't want to ruin your reputation at the office."

"Of course we'd be discrete. I will just have to make sure to muffle your moans," Will said as he leaned in to cover Ron's lips in a kiss. "But let us go eat the dinner you've made for us before it gets much colder. Afterwards, we can go on a walk to keep you from going stir crazy."

"…I don't make that much noise!" he protested, knowing it was a lie, especially when William attacked his erotic zones. He smiled and nodded, "But it sounds like a plan."

William dragged Ron back into the kitchen so they could eat. After dinner, they did the dishes, finished dressing, and went out on their walk.

William took Ron to a nearby park where they could stroll in relative peace and people watch if they wanted to. Around other people, William's light-heartedness sobered as he fell back into social propriety. It wasn't that his happiness didn't show, he was just slightly less outwardly expressive.

They chatted as they walked along. "Tell me something about you no one else knows," William said randomly, though he somehow naturally slid it into the conversation as if it was not out of the blue.

Ronald looked out the corner of his eye at William, "You already know a lot about me no one else does." He said, but started to think anyway, "When I was human, I used to dream about running away from home and school to become a football player." He chuckled, "Even though I was horrible at it. I could never kick the ball where I wanted it to go, and I made it all too easy for it to be stolen away from me because I kicked it too far ahead of me while running towards the goal. And I never tried being the goalie because I wanted to be the star that scored all the winning goals. Needless to say on the rare occasions I did get to go out and play, I was the last person picked for the teams."

"You were probably better than you thought you were and given the proper opportunity, you likely might have succeeded. Did Weston not have a football team?"

"Yes, it did, but I was in the violet house, we focused on the arts, the green house focused on the sports." He shrugged.

"And you were not permitted to join simply because of house placement?"

"House rivalries tended to get in the way." Ronald smiled, "But I suppose if I had gotten good at it and managed to switch houses, it wouldn't have been as fun anymore. But what about you? Any hidden talents or mistalents?"

"Or, it could have been more fun, but who can really say?" William smiled back at Ron. "My most surprising talent to most is the fact that I dance...other than book keeping, I suppose it's my only talent," Will laughed softly. "When I was a boy, I was a bit of a scrapper and a thief, but that is not really a talent."

"Really? A stickler for the rules like you?" Ronald commented in surprise, "Now that is surprising."

"There wasn't much choice. It was a matter of fight to live and steal to eat for my sister and I to survive. I was all she had so I did what was necessary, so I just happened to get good at both. It wasn't until much later that I became a stickler for rules," William said with a smirk.

"Oh? So what happened to make you change your ways?"

"Forced captivity and silk hose," William said blandly but couldn't hold a straight face for long before he laughed again. "I suppose that's the short of it. Our maternal grandfather found us and plucked us from the streets after five years of leaving us to fend for ourselves on the condition that I would obey his every command in exchange for keeping Mary comfortable. He did not fancy having filthy little urchins for grandchildren and forced us into finishing school then onto college, which forced some obedience into me. I had to become very disciplined and tame Mary at the same time to keep us off the streets. I suppose it just became habit to obey and enforce rules after a while...but even then we would only take so much."

"I see. You must have been a very caring big brother. But strangely… it makes me wonder… Would you mind if I asked a more personal question that seems a little off topic?"

"Yes, of course," William replied with a raised eyebrow. "Anything you wish to know, I'll tell you."

"Did you take any lovers when you were human?" he asked curiously, "It sort of feels like that is something that you wouldn't be held back on…if how passionate you are in bed is any indications."

"Actually, I didn't," William said softly, blushing slightly at the question. "Other than a few awkward moments as a schoolboy, I neither had the time nor the interest, really...but I've had just over a century to gain...experience."

"I see…" he grinned and leaned in closer as they walked down the path, "Am I your first actual lover then? I know Grell has mentioned on some of his rants that he's seen you take random men home once in a while…at the time I thought it was just talk, but, perhaps not?"

Again William blushed, "This is the first relationship I have ever had," William said quickly. "I've had many partners...dalliances you could call them, but I have never had a lasting relationship."

"I'm sort of relieved to hear that." Ronald smiled, "Mind if I kiss you now? Or is this place a little to public for that?"

William wanted to ask why Ron was relieved to hear that, but the proposition of a kiss distracted him. Had Ron just gone ahead and done it, he might have protested, but the consideration made him smile softly. He didn't even look around before he leaned in himself and kissed Ron.

Ronald smiled and deepened the kiss before pulling back, "…not too public, got it."

"Normally I might protest, but you asked so nicely," William smiled softly and looked around. There was hardly anyone around...and he wondered if his favorite spot in the park was also abandoned. With a grin, he grabbed Ron's hand and without a word, tugged him further down the path then suddenly took a sharp left, veering off the set walkway to a barely noticeable footpath the led off to some dense trees and bushes. Will kept his firm grip on Ron's hand as he pulled him along through what seemed like ill tended to plants for a public park, but they finally came out into a small clearing where a seemingly neglected stone gazebo stood. It was tiny with only a small bench in it and it could probably only barely shelter two people if it hadn't partially collapsed, the stone was badly weathered and the whole thing was covered in vines, weeds were rampant in the clearing, but it was nicely secluded and there was no one around. "Perfect," William said with a nod and promptly shoved Ron against a pillar of the gazebo and kissed him hard and shamelessly.

Ronald had followed as best he could with his cane as he was pulled off the usual park paths along to the forgotten location. He looked around, taking in the old gazebo and was about to ask how William had known about this place when he was shoved against a pillar, his lover's lips crushing down on his. With a moan, he let his cane fall to the overgrown grass as he slid his arms around the taller man, pulling him closer.

Will pressed as close to Ron as possible and kissed him hungrily, running his hand over the blond's side before puling up his shirt enough for his hand to slide beneath and caress over the skin of his hip and lower back.

"Ti amo," William whispered against Ron's lips with a smile. "Sono pazzo di te..." The words were slightly clumsy and his accent wasn't very crisp, but he had just picked up the phrases earlier that day and wanted to see Ron's reaction.

Ronald blushed and opened his eyes, "…You are learning Italian? Il tuo accento è orrendo, ma mi eccita, il mio amore." He breathed, hooking his hand around the back of his neck and pulling him into a heated kiss.

William returned the kiss with a groan and pressed harder against Ron, his hand dipping from it's place at the blond's back to teasingly glide over his rear before reaching down and gripping the back of his thigh to hook his leg over Will's hip. The older reaper gave him a good hard grind as he moaned softly against his lover's lips. Will's hand once again wandered and reached between them to undo Ron's belt and pull open his trousers.

Ronald groaned, rolling his hips against William while his belt was undone. His hands slid around to William's waist and started yanking his belt loose and tugging his shirt out. "Mmm…" he slid one hand around, dipping into William's pants and cupping his butt cheek as his other hand found William's tie, tugging it loose.

It seemed his younger lover was just as eager and William couldn't resist. He'd intended to merely rile him up a bit, but he was overwhelmed by the desire to have Ron right then and there. Once he had loosened Ron's belt, he brought his hand up to his lips, breaking their kiss momentarily to lick over two fingers and once they were slick to his liking, he reconnected their lips, sealing his mouth over Ron's and wrangled their tongues together as he growled softly. His hand dove down the back of Ron's pants and slid his slick fingers along his cleft to tease his entrance momentarily before pressing a finger in as he continued to grind shamelessly against him.

Ronald bucked up against him, "Ahh!" He slid his leg down from William's hip, shifting and giving his hips a small, awkward wiggle, working his pants down off his form and letting them fall down his legs. His fingers hooked around William's pants and pushed them from his hips, allowing their two members grind against each other freely. With another moan, the younger reaper gripped their lengths together and stroked them.

Ron's eagerness was making Will's head spin. It wasn't long at all before he added the second finger to stretch and scissor him while his lover took it upon himself to stroke them together. He growled and gasped into Ron's mouth as he continued to roll his hips to aid in rubbing their shafts together. When he knew Ron was ready, he quickly withdrew his fingers, fell to his knees for a moment to tug one of Ron's legs free of a pant leg, taking the opportunity to place a good long lick to the shaft bobbing in front of his face, then stood and hooked the freed leg over his hip, positioned himself quickly, and slid into Ron in one hard thrust. He gasped and had to bite his lip to keep from crying out as he held and waited for his lover to adjust, "Hold on to me or you're going to fall," he panted, keeping him pinned to the pillar using only his body.

"Will….Nghnn…" Ronald groaned, rolling his head back against the pillar he was pinned against and wrapped his arms tightly around his lover. His heart was pounding and he felt a rush of excitement. The cool fresh air against his skin sending a thrill through him.

It was absolutely ridiculous that they were dong such a thing outside in a public place, but William couldn't deny there was a certain thrill. Ron felt especially exquisite being so accommodating and passionate. When the blond's body had relaxed enough, William hooked his elbow up under Ron's knee and pulled back to slam into him, causing him to shudder from the sensation. He gathered himself again and thrust into his lover without abandon, taking up an immediately hard and fast pace, unsure as to how long he would last. He made sure to muffle both his and Ron's moans by smothering his mouth in another hungry kiss.

Ronald gasped, tightening his hold on his lover, feeling his back grate against the stone column, the bandages reinforcing his ribs shifting from the rough force. He nipped at William's tongue as they kissed, his lips moving eagerly against the other's and one hand slid up into the slicked hair, messing it up.

Will hummed and growled as his thrusts became staggered. He broke their kiss to bury his face in Ron's neck, his body shuddering as he came hard groaning against his lover's neck. He sank to his knees, taking Ron with him, releasing his leg to grasp his shaft and pump him in time with his continuing thrusts, still pressing him up against the stone as he left kiss marks all over his neck.

With William's lips no longer muffling Ronald's moans, he grew louder, his sounds of pleasure hitching as he felt his climax drawing near, "Williaaah-!" he cried out, throwing his head back as he was overcome and spilled out into William's hand.

Will pressed lazy kisses to his lover's neck and pumped him until he was sure he was finished then lifted his hand to his lips to lick clean the evidence of Ron's pleasure. "I cannot believe you let me do that to you," William purred and put his arm around Ron's waist to hold him close.

"I can't believe you did this to me in public…no matter how secluded this area is…" Ronald breathed, looking up at William and watching him lick his fingers clean.

"I've never been inspired to do such a shameless thing before. Count this as another first due to your influence," William said with a smirk. "Now come on, let's get going in case someone heard your moaning and comes to investigate."

William planted a soft kiss to Ron's lips and pulled out of him before standing and helping his lover to his feet.

Ronald pulled his pants back up and leaned against the pillar, looking around for his cane, "I wasn't the only one moaning…" he muttered, then spotted his cane and used William for support as he bent down to grab it. "And I remember asking for a kiss, you were the one who instigated this." He smirked.

Will took the opportunity to straighten his clothes and Ron's, "It wasn't just your words that influenced me, it was all of you. Sei irresistibile," he murmured and cupped the blond's cheek. "Did I hurt your ribs?"

"Can I lie and say no?" Ronald asked softly, leaning into the touch.

"You can, but I won't believe you. Do I need to take you to the infirmary?"

"And tell them what, exactly? That You broke me on our walk through the park because you couldn't resist me?" he teased, "I'll be fine…you can help readjust my bandages and tomorrow when I go in for therapy I'll have them take a look at me."

"I think only Vivian would believe that," William laughed softly. "Well, we do have medication at home if the pain is too much, or we can hit a pub and have a more old fashioned pain killer. Dancing is obviously out of the question, but I'm sure you'd at least like a lively atmosphere."

"Oh? Am I aloud to drink again?" Ronald asked, trying hard not to wince in pain as they started walking once more.

"I won't tell if you won't," William smiled at Ron then looked at him with concern. "Perhaps we should go back home, if only to fix the bandages."

"As long as we can still go to a pub." Ronald nodded.

"We'll see if you are still up for it," William said as he assisted Ron in walking back home.

* * *

To be continued...


	15. Chapter 15

As soon as they were inside, William waited for Ron to remove his shirt and cleaned off a few scrapes the blond had gotten from rubbing against the stone pillar. "I really did not mean to be so rough," William said with remorse as he rewrapped the bandages as best he could, being mindful not to cause too much compression.

"Do you hear me complaining?" Ronald asked, keeping his arms lifted so that they were not in the way, "I enjoyed our 'walk' immensely, and wouldn't mind a repeat"

"You are not complaining, but your ribs apparently are," William said as he continued wrapping, though he did take the opportunity to not-so-subtly tease Ron's nipples. "And I will be glad to give a repeat performance, or a slightly more rigorous one, once you are fully healed." He finished wrapping the blond's torso and stood back. "Is that better? Do you still wish to go out?"

"Are you kidding? I could be in a coma and still want to go out. You caught me, Will, you didn't tame me." Ronald grinned, grabbing his shirt.

He knew the blond probably hadn't really meant anything by it, or at least he _hoped_ he didn't, but the words put William slightly on guard though outwardly his demeanor didn't change. "Concern for your comfort is not an attempt to tame you, Ron," he said with a small smile and a lifted eyebrow. "It would just be silly to go out if you didn't feel well. But if you are up for it, then by all means, let's go. I'm sure it would do you some good to be in a lively atmosphere."

"I know, I wasn't saying you were trying to. I was making a point that a little thing like broken ribs are not enough to keep me away from a good time." Ronald commented as he slipped his shirt on and tucked it into his pants.

"I'd argue that it's not a little thing, but it's not my body, either," William said with a small shrug. "Now which pub did you want to go to?"

"It's little, as long as I don't do anything more to aggravate them." The younger blond shrugged, "And with a few drinks to dull the pain, it'll be even smaller." He slipped his hand into William's, "And how about the pub we went to together before?"

William smiled and laced fingers with Ron. "That sounds pleasant," he said with a nod and walked with his lover to the place they'd danced together. As they entered, they were greeted with the same loud, folksy music playing as there had been before and the place was definitely full, but not crowded. William found them a table relatively easily, removed his jacket, and looked to Ron. "Do you want to wait for a server, or do you want me to get you a drink now?" he asked with a grin.

"The sooner the better." Ronald said, gingerly slipping out of his own jacket before sitting down and leaning his cane against the table.

Will nodded and headed off to the bar. He returned shortly with drinks in hand and handed a scotch to Ron as he sat as well.

"To your health," William chuckled and clinked their glasses together.

"And yours." Ronald nodded after taking a good sized sip of the drink, letting it linger on his tongue. "Too bad we are still so banged up…Wouldn't mind dancing with you again."

"We could try if you like," William said before taking a sip and looking at Ron over the glass.

"You have a broken arm…and we'd have to baby my leg if we do. It may be difficult. But if you think we can, I'd love to."

William stood and offered his hand. "Then we go slow," he said with a soft smile. "But this means you have to lead as it would be too confusing for me to do so with only one hand."

"I never led a man in a dance before…Of course you and Eric are the only men I have danced with. And Eric isn't very flexible on such things." Ronald chuckled.

"A partner is a partner, Ron. If you can lead a lady, you can lead me," William said with a small smirk. "I know I lack femininity, but if it would make things easier, you may imagine me in a dress."

"Pfft! Hahaha! Oh! You? In a dress? Sorry, but that is just…it's too much!" Ronald laughed, holding his ribs as they began to hurt, "Oh…Ow…please…no more…"

"I can honestly say I've never worn a dress, but I can tell you from experience that makeup does not suit me," William smirked.

"Makeup?" Ronald raised an eyebrow, "Oh, I have to hear this story. Was it Grell? Or your dear sister Mary, perhaps?"

"My grandfather, actually. Well, it was at his insistence, at least, some maids did the actual work," William explained. "He was attempting to get me to court a lady of minor French nobility and threw a Parisian themed gala in which I had to dress as a fashionable courtier. It was terrible. They put me in so much of that awful white face powder with rouge on my cheeks and lips, not to mention the horrible wig! The ladies who dressed me assured me I looked very masculine, but I felt like a tart," Will laughed softly.

Ronald nearly fell out of his chair from his sudden burst of laughter, "Oh! Oh the mental image! I…I can't… hahaha! Ow..ow it hurts hahaha!"

Seeing Ron caught up in such hard laughter made Will smile in spite of himself.

"Yes, that was about Mary's reaction, too."

"C-can't blame her!" Ronald giggled, holding his hurting rips as he tried to calm down.

William shook his head with a smile as he moved to stand behind Ron, quite sure that his hand was not going to be taken anytime soon, and used his hand to knead Ron's shoulder.

"If you hurt your ribs now, it's your own fault. I am not to blame in the least."

"N-No…It's your grandfather's fault." Ronald chuckled with a sigh and leaned back, looking up at William, his face flushed from the laughter.

"It's for the best that I didn't mention the heels and horrid fake French accent then," William smirked smiling down at Ron. "Now, do you want to dance or are you going to continue to try and hurt your ribs?"

"I'm not trying…I'm succeeding." Ronald giggled, wincing in pain as he pushed himself up and took his cane. "Now…how are we going to do this?" he asked, looking down at the slick black stick in his hand.

"Like I said, we go slow. Lean on me as much as you need to," William said, walking with Ron to the dance floor. "It might be awkward, but does it really matter?"

"I guess the Tango isn't an option right now, then is it?" Ronald asked, leaning his cane on a nearby chair and leaning on William to take the weight off his leg by wrapping one arm around his shoulders.

"Well, not the sort of Tango that can be performed in public," William whispered into Ron's ear and braced his arm around his lover's back. "This won't be so much dancing as it will be moving slowly in rhythm to the music, but I cannot say that I mind."

"Oh? And our little dance in the park was the sort of tango that can be performed in public?" he whispered back, starting to move to the music as other couples danced a little more freely around them.

"Perhaps. But not in the middle of a dance floor," William smiled softly as he kept Ron pulled close. It was definitely awkward to dance this way, but Will didn't care at all. There was something endearing about it, they way they both had to depend on the other to move properly, Will to hold Ron up and brace him, and Ron to guide Will as he led, yet they managed, sometimes with more grace than some of the other couples on the dance floor.

After a few songs, the couple returned to their table and Ronald grinned, "Not bad for a couple of broken men, were we?"

"I imagine if we had the ability to age, that is how we'd dance together in our golden years," William laughed lightly and sipped his scotch. "Were there any friends here you wished to say hello to? I'm sure they've missed you."

"You mean like that lady who thought we were dating last time we danced? Looks like she's coming over to say hello again." Ronald grinned, motioning over to the woman approaching their table.

"What? Oh..." William looked up at the woman as she approached and gave her a forced smile.

Ronald flashed a bright smile, "Hello, Miss. Enjoying your evening?"

She looked over at Will. "Don't do that, it looks like it hurts," she commented with a knowing grin.

"Miss, I don't understand..." William said, his pained smile falling as he raised an eyebrow.

"Been a while, you two," she said quickly, obviously not caring about ignoring Will's confusion.

"Yes, it has," William agreed, his brow furrowing slightly. "Can we help you with something?"

"So, is he your boyfriend, _now_?" she asked blatantly, nodding towards Ron.

William blinked at the lady's audacity, but couldn't help the small grin that touched his lips, "What do you think?" he asked, his grin getting bigger.

"There you go. That's better," she laughed. "Don't force a smile, mister. It doesn't suit you. If your darlin' can inspire one, all the better."

"Did you come over here just to poke fun at his smile, Miss?" Ronald asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, not exactly. I just wanted to see how you two were doing. Everyone was blown away by that fantastic Tango the last time you two were in here, but apparently we're not going to get a repeat performance," she said looking pointedly at Will's casted arm.

"No, not tonight, but likely in the future," William said with a small friendly smile.

"Amelia's the name by the way," she said offering out her hand.

William looked at her hand then offered out his own.

"William," he said as he shook her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Amelia."

She nodded and offered her hand to Ron.

"Ronald." He said, offering his hand, but rather than shaking it, he brought her hand up and kissed her knuckles lightly, "Are you new around here? This is a usual pub for me, and I don't think I have seen you before other than the night of the tango and now again tonight."

"Well, you haven't been around, Ronald. I just found this place the night I saw you guys. Thought I'd meet some interesting people and I did," she said as she winked at William. "Been coming here ever since."

"Well, we met with a rather unfortunate accident. Messed up Will's arm and my leg pretty bad." He shrugged, "Haven't had much of a chance to get out."

"It's been a few months, fellas," Amelia said with a grin. "Must've been some accident."

"We had other affairs to attend to, as well," William said.

"Ah, well, it's good to see you two got yourselves together. It was only a matter of time, but still. If you two _didn't_ get together, I would have snatched William here myself."

"You flatter me, Miss Amelia," William said with a nod.

"Ha! I told you that Grell and I are not the only ones who fancy you. This lovely lady took a gander as well." Ronald grinned, nudging him with his toe.

"Well, seeing as you are together and so obviously in love, I wouldn't dare come between you that way," she said with a smile. "That being said, I'll leave you to your date." She winked and sauntered off.

William watched her go with a slightly puzzled look, "It's rare to meet such kind people, isn't it?"

"Is it?" Ronald frowned, "She seemed normal to me." he shrugged, finishing off his scotch.

"Fine it's strange for such kind people to talk to me. Most people keep me at a distance. Except, you know, the crazy ones that fancy me," William said with a smirk.

"So I'm crazy now?" Ronald asked, raising an eyebrow, "I don't know if I like being grouped in with Sutcliff-senpai on the crazy scale."

"No, you are quite sane in comparison to Grell," William laughed softly. "I just think you are crazy for giving someone like me a chance after only knowing me for one night. I am not sure why you did, but I am grateful for it."

"I'm not sure either…but I know why I stuck around." Ronald smiled, taking William's hand.

"Because I brought you food in the infirmary," William joked but squeezed Ron's fingers.

"Oh yes, it is all because of your cooking." Ronald joked back with a grin.

"Well it certainly wasn't due to my skills in the bedroom, considering you did not truly get a taste of those for a while," William laughed and looked down at Ron's hand ."Whatever our reasons, I am glad it came to be... Ti amo," he said softly before bringing his lover's hand up to his lips and kissing it.

"I'm also glad Grell-senpai was able to move on and stop sending us death glares every time we looked at each other…or when he hears me calling you 'Will'."

"He would need to get over it eventually anyway, but I am glad as well. It worked out for all of us in the end."

Ronald nodded and yawned, looking at his watch, "…What…? Why am I tired so early?" he muttered.

"I would say it's because you've had a lack of activity for the last few months and need to build up your stamina again. Shall we head home?"

"…Unfortunately…I think that would be best…my head is starting to hurt…" he said, rubbing his temple.

"Then let's get you home and into bed," William said as he moved to stand and offered a hand to Ron to help him up.

Ronald nodded reluctantly and took his hand and his cane, giving off another yawn. He suddenly lost balance and fell against William's side, his mind going fuzzy. "Nnng…I only had the one drink…right? …Feels like twenty…"

William raised an eyebrow and supported Ron as best he could, "Maybe even one was too much. I suppose there really was a reason the doctor advised against drinking," he pulled Ron's arm up over his shoulders to help walk him out. "Come on, I'll call us a cab."

Ronald nodded, "Cab would be good…" he muttered as he was helped outside.

"Are you going to be alright?" William asked, his concern growing as he waved down a hansom and convinced the driver to help him get Ron into the seat.

"Yeah…Probably just need to pass out for a few hours…Maybe such a vigorous walk through the park, dancing, and a drink is too much for my body to handle right now."

William kept Ron upright during the ride home and practically carried him back up to the flat. He took him straight to bed, helped him change into pajamas, and forced a glass of water into his hand. "If you are not feeling better by morning, I am taking you to the infirmary." Even then, William decided he probably wasn't going to sleep much that night. It was alarming that such little alcohol could affect him so much.

"I'll be fine, Will. You get in here next to me and get some sleep yourself. You have work in the morning after all. Ronald said with another yawn, his head buzzing, and he passed out as soon as his head touched the pillow.

William did join Ron once he passed out and held him close all through the night to make sure he didn't get sick. All he could do was hope his lover would sleep it off.

* * *

 

William started at the sound of his alarm clock, reaching out to turn it off before it woke Ron up. Once it was silenced, he turn to make sure Ron was still asleep...and saw an empty space. Will blinked and wondered if maybe the blond had gotten up to use the bathroom or get water or something.

"Ron?" he called softly. He checked the bathroom with no success, then the kitchen, and again no Ronald. Perhaps he'd gone for a walk? But the blond was not an early riser...and he'd been so hung over the night before...that was when William saw Ron's glasses still on his nightstand, and his cane was still next to the bed.

_What?_

Will felt alarm rising in his chest as he quickly got dressed and hurried out of the apartment, searching the halls and the street out front, calling for Ron. What the hell was going on? Where had he gone to?

"Mister Spears!" A young reaper called out, spotting William running through the streets in his pajamas. That was strange, but now wasn't the time to dwell on the sight. He ran to catch up to the supervisor of the London Dispatch. "Sir…I'm sorry to…bother you before work but we have an emergency."

"What? What happened?" William asked, still looking around. "You haven't seen Knox, have you?"

"Knox? No, not for a long while…Did you check the pubs? But anyway, that doesn't matter. The officers working the night shift…two of them never returned from a collection."

"It does matter. Ron's missing." William groaned in frustration. "Let me get dressed and I'll head straight to the office. Who was it and where were they sent?" William asked as he stated back towards his apartment.

The young reaper followed, "Edward Strain was to report to that old abandoned farm two miles south of London, but our records show that Julian Forge went to check on him when he didn't return after he didn't return for a few hours. Both haven't been heard from since and the messenger birds keep returning without delivering their messages."

William cursed under his breath at the news as he dressed himself quickly. That wasn't good. It meant there was something else out there either detaining or outright destroying the reapers. It could be anything from a demon to another hostile soul incident. Either way, it needed to be investigated and it would be too dangerous for a single reaper to go. He hurried to the office with the younger reaper and recruited two more to come with him to investigate the farm. With their number of four, they should be fine, but there was still no sign of Ron...Still, they hurried.

* * *

To be continued...


	16. Chapter 16

Ronald groaned, rolling over in his sleep, feeling like he had the worst hangover he had ever had, "Will….if you love me kill me now…" he groaned, forcing his eyes open, only to sit up in alarm and pain, his wide eyes looking around, ignoring the pounding in his head.

He wasn't in William's arms, he wasn't in bed…he wasn't even in an apartment or house. He found himself laying on a pile of bundled hay in an old barn. The sound of wings sounded overhead and a bird flew from it's nest and out a rather large hole in the roof of the old structure. He looked up at the hole, squinting from the lack of glasses on his face.

He reached out, in search for his cane, finding it was also missing, and his pajamas were torn and soaked in blood, "William?!" he called out, starting to panic. He started to push himself up, only to cry out in pain as his leg and ribs both sent a bolt of pain through him. "Anyone?!"

The silence following his calls was only disrupted by the sound of the wind forcing itself into the cracks of the barn.

Ronald groaned, slipping out of his pajama shirt and ripping it to shreds, using the strips of fabric to tie his leg and rewrap his torso the best he could. He hadn't moved enough to strain his ribs, but he felt like he had been used as a punching bag, and his leg did feel broken again, probably from walking without his cane, though he still had no idea how he got there, or where he even was. At any rate, no one was around and his calls fell into empty air.

Carefully shifting himself around, his fingers found an old warn, wooden handle that used to be attached to a pitchfork, hoe, or shovel. He took it and smacked it on the floor, testing it's strength before using it as a crutch to help himself up and hobble slowly and painfully to where he hopped a door was in the old barn.

Once they reached the farm, William split the group up into two teams of two, sending one to investigate the farmhouse while he led the one to investigate the barn and stables. He kept himself on high alert, scythe at the ready and had his temporary partner open the door.

Ronald had been leaning on the door, looking for the latch that would let the door swing open, and when it opened suddenly, he lost balance, stumbling forward and falling to the ground at the reaper's feet, groaning in pain as his ribs took the impact.

William jumped back as soon as he saw someone stumble out, then immediately dove forward to crouch at Ron's side.

"Ron?! What are you doing here? Where have you been?" he asked as he looked him over noting all the dried blood. "What happened to you? Are you hurt?"

Ronald squinted, "Will?" he shook his head, "I don't even know where I am or how I got here…Just woke up in a pile of hay feeling like I was hit by a carriage."

"I hadn't even realized you left last night," Will said as he kept checking his lover over looking for wounds. "You're on the outskirts of London at an abandoned farm. We came here in search of some missing reapers. Why are you covered in blood?" This was extremely disconcerting. How had Ron gotten here and when? Why was he covered in dried blood and where were the missing reapers? "Let us investigate and we'll get you to the infirmary," he looked to his temporary partner. "You stay here with Ron and I'll investigate he barn."

"Well, if anyone is in there, they are not conscious. I can't really tell you much more…kind of blind." Ron said, leaning back against the weathered wooden door of the barn, "And like I said…I just woke up in a pile of hay. I don't remember anything…last I remember is telling you to get your arse in bed with me last night."

"Yes, you were pretty out of it at that point..." Will said as he edged closer to the door. "I'll yell if I find anything, but if I tell you to run, you get Knox out of here. Understood?" he asked, giving a pointed look to the other reaper.

Will entered the barn cautiously, his scythe at the ready as he made progress investigating the barn. He did a quick visual sweep of the first floor and noted the huge hole in the ceiling.

As William looked up, a low moan of pain drifted down from the hayloft, followed by labored coughing.

William immediately dashed upstairs when he heard the sound, hoping it was one of the missing reapers. If he was injured, it was far better than the alternative.

Grell lay sprawled out on the floor directly under the hole in the roof of the barn, splintered wood and shingles around him. His half-nude form was splattered in blood, and a large fragment of dry-rotted wood protruded from his stomach just below his ribs, and his glasses were missing from his face.

"Grell?!" William started and sped over to the fallen reaper, looking him over and wincing at the wood impaling him. "Hold on..."

Will looked up and called out towards the barn door. "Johnson! Call for Harris and Macy! Sutcliff is here and injured as well."

He looked down at Grell as he took off his jacket and belt. He knew what needed to be done and it wasn't going to be pleasant in the least.

"Grell," he said as he gently cupped the side of the redhead's face. "You're hurt and I need to do something before I can move you and it is going to cause you a lot of pain. I need you bite down on this for me, alright? Then I will get you out of here. Now, bite down."

He put the belt to Grell's lips and waited for him to take it between his teeth. Grell cracked open his eyes and mumbled something around the leather strap in his mouth before he bit down on it.

As soon as Grell bit down, William grabbed the shard of wood and gave a solid yank, tossed it to the side, and pressed his jacket to the wound putting as much pressure as he dared without crushing the reaper's diaphragm.

"Johnson! Where are Harris and Macy?" Will yelled. He'd carry Grell out of there if he could, but with only one arm, he'd do more harm than good. He needed the other two to carry the redhead out of there. He realized he should have brought a larger team.

"They…uh…They have their hands full, sir... Strain and Forge….they found them…"

"Bloody Hell, Johnson go help Will. I'll be fine being alone for a few seconds. I was here for who knows how long alone!" Ronald said.

As soon as Johnson joined him, he moved to the side and instructed him to pick up Grell carefully.

"Where were the other two?" he asked as they moved out of the barn. "We need to get the injured back ASAP."

"They are tending Strain and Forge…they are dead, sir. They are reaping their souls before a demon comes along…"

"I feared as much," Will sighed sadly as he looked around cautiously. What could have drawn two blind reapers here and killed another two? "Two of us will remain here and investigate. The other two will take Knox and Sutcliff back to the infirmary as well as calling for backup."

Johnson nodded as the other two reapers arrived at the barn with solemn looks on their faces.

"There is no sign that it was a hostile soul…the soul that they came to collect had been collected properly." Reported Macy.

As he listened to what Macy reported, he realized he needed to change his plans. Sending two reapers back with their hands full with injured officers was no better than leaving them on their own individually.

"There is going to be a change of plan. We will all return to the Dispatch together. Two of us will carry Knox and Sutcliff while the other two provide protection. If there is something out here taking out reapers, we need to be as careful as possible. Let's go."

"…Can't I go to my Unnie instead?" Grell groaned, "He must be worried…"

"You're lucky. You aren't doomed to spend the rest of your immortal life at that infirmary…" Ronald muttered, gasping in pain when he shifted his position slightly.

"No, Grell, you have a hole in your torso. You need medical attention, but I will inform Undertaker so that he may come visit you," William said as they moved along. "Now both of you stop complaining and just be grateful you are still amongst us."

"Sir…do you wish to help Knox? Or should one of us help him?" Macy asked.

"If one of you wouldn't mind. I'd like to have at least one arm available in case we encounter anything."

"Just wanted to make sure…what with you and Knox being a couple and all." Macy shrugged, scooping Ronald up into his arms.

"H-Hey! I can half-walk, you know…" Ron protested.

"This is faster."

"Stop complaining," William said crisply to Ron as he looked to the other reapers. "Let's go, gentlemen."

They headed back to the Dispatch, taking Ron and Grell directly to the infirmary.

"Will, Darling, tell Unnie before anything else! Poor dear. I must have just disappeared on him last night!" Grell called out as nurses gathered around him and Ronald to take them back to get looked at properly.

"Will…" Ronald said as a nurse held him down on a gurney, "if you are going back yourself…be careful."

It was very concerning that both Grell and Ron had no recollection of how they had wound up out there, but he did send a carrier pigeon to the mortician to inform him of Grell's condition. Afterwards, he organized a good sized group to go search for clues out at the abandoned farm and possibly get a better look at the bodies of the slain reapers.

* * *

 

Doctor Knapp sighed and walked out to the Lobby to meet William as he returned after a long day of investigation on top of the normal heavy work load that came from being short on dispatch officers.

"They are both in stable condition. Mister Sutcliff is already nearly healed once we gave his system a boost to regenerate faster. And Mister Knox seems to have somehow re-damaged his ribs. We had to go in and reset them, but he is showing signs that his own regeneration ability that was damaged by that first Hostile Soul is starting to heal so his healing should speed up soon. Which is also good news to you, as you may also speed up on healing." The doctor added, tapping his pen to William's arm. "But what concerns the other doctors and myself is that neither of them have any memory of the event. Mister Knox only remembers going to bed, and Mister Sutcliff…though he went into far too much detail, had been spending his evening with Undertaker and had left the…coffin as he put it to get something to drink. Both report not feeling well before that. Dizziness, migraines, and sudden tiredness. We wish to keep them both here under observation for the night. We have allowed Undertaker to stay at Sutcliff's side, so you are welcome to do the same with Knox. We have them both set up in room One-twelve."

William nodded to the doctor in thanks and headed to the room. Even before entering, he could hear Grell and Undertaker chatting and he braced himself before opening the door.

"How kind of you to finally join us, dear William~! " the elder reaper said with a wide grin from his place at Grell's bedside.

"Hello, sir," William said with a nod.

"We were trying to get Ronald to tell us some dirty little secrets about you to keep ourselves entertained in this sterile place, but he's being very stubborn about it," the mortician chuckled.

"Yes, well, that's Ronald Knox for you," Will smiled softly as he walked over to Ron's bed to put his hand over the younger reaper's.

"Well, the dirt they wanted on you was quite private. Though I did slip up and tell them you have a heart." Ronald joked, grinning up at William.

"Lies! I won't believe it!" Grell giggled, pulling Undertaker up onto the bed so he could lean against him, "Did you find anything out at the old farm that'll help Ronnie and I piece together what happened to us?"

"Not a thing," William said shaking his head. "Strain and Forge appeared to have been killed with death scythes which suggests a run in with a demon, angel, or the very rare possibility of a rogue reaper. But none of it explains what happened to the two of you. It's a very strange coincidence that this happened to both of you at the same time with the exact same symptoms. I would say it's an incredibly bizarre case of sleep walking, but why would both of you go to the same place? And why the hell did it look like Grell crashed through the roof of that barn?"

William was mostly musing out loud to ponder through the possibilities himself. "The only thing in common you two have in recent events, as far as I know, is the incident with the hostile souls at the factory. But then why weren't Eric, Alan, and myself affected? With the exception of Alan, we all tested negative for hostile soul contamination..."

"I assure you it _feels_ like I crashed through the roof of that barn just as well as it looked like it." Grell said, "I don't like this. If Something fun is going on I want to remember being apart of it, not just wake up feeling like I got my arse handed to me."

"I'd rather it not happen at all." Ronald said, "If I fall asleep in Will's arms, I want to wake up there, not miles away in some old barn covered in blood that was not mine. It's scary. And I hate admitting when I get scared."

"I've never heard of anything of the like, short of possession..." Undertaker said carefully.

"But both of them at the same time?" Will said as he squeezed Ron's hand. "What could have happened to both of you to cause this?"

"Well, if it's some sort of prank, it's not funny. Especially since we were so close to—" Ronald cut himself off, a horrifying thought crossing his mind, "…what if it was Grell and I who killed them?"

"Don't be silly! We wouldn't hurt our own, let alone kill them. At the very least, because of the amount of overtime the rest of us have to do." Grell laughed.

"I'm serious, senpai. We don't know how we got there or why we were there. We just remember waking up covered in blood and feeling like we got in a fight and lost…what if we didn't lose?"

"Calm down, Ron. It's not impossible, but highly improbable," William said. "Neither of your scythes were at the scene and neither of you have wounds from scythes yourselves. Those two would not have gone down without a fight."

"Like making Senpai crash through a roof?" Ronald asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ronnie, you're going to drive yourself as mad as Unnie. I doubt we attacked them. We just had a strange case of joined sleepwalking."

"We really won't know unless it happens again," William said looking at Ron with concern. "But don't assume the worst."

"I'm perfectly sane, darling," Undertaker said with a grin, nuzzling Grell's neck. "From my perspective anyway. But we shall keep watch tonight and see if you wander again. At least, I thought that was the plan, yes?"

"Yes, that is the plan," Will agreed.

"Or~ you can make sure it doesn't happen again and tie us down to our beds~" Grell giggled with a small pained wiggle.

"If you really want to, darling, I'll be glad to oblige..." Undertaker leered. "I don't even mind if we have an audience..."

William rolled his eyes as Undertaker started nipping at Grell's neck. "I simply do not intend to sleep, and if two of us are awake, then if anything happens, one of us is bound to notice."

"Oh but that's no fun! I like my idea much better~ No need for you two to be shy~" Grell giggled, running his fingers through Undertaker's hair as he tilted his head back to offer more of his neck.

"Have you _no_ shame, Senpai?" Ronald groaned.

The redhead looked over at the other couple, "…Oh! Don't tell me you two haven't done anything yet! Will! If you are going to give yourself to Ronnie then the _least_ you could do is ravish the poor boy!"

"What makes you think I haven't? We just happen to be more discrete," Will said, looking slightly annoyed.

"Mmmnnn..." Undertaker purred, kissing his way up to Grell's ear but spoke to William. "Are you afraid to let others hear your precious Ronald moan? Hmm?"

"It is for my ears alone," William said matter-of-factly. "But that doesn't mean I am entirely a prude." He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Ron's lips and Ronald kissed William back, blushing lightly.

"Mmnyah~" Grell moaned shamelessly when his lover reached his ear, "and…what if s-someone stole a moan from him~?" he teased, running his fingers up under white hair, scraping his red nails along Undertaker's scalp.

"What do you mean 'stole', Grell?" William asked with a raised eyebrow, moving closer to Ron, not liking the implication.

Undertaker merely chuckled and nibbled at Grell's ear.

Grell let out another long moan, "Darling…if you keep it up you are going to be losing clothes…" the red reaper looked over at William and Ronald, "My, you are possessive, aren't you?"

"And this is an issue how?" the mortician purred.

Ronald rolled his eyes, "He knows about the curl…"

"His cute curl makes for a cute reaction, you know~" Grell teased.

"Really? And how does he know about that?" Will asked looking to Ron.

"He's my senior who trained me. Once I was out of the academy, he spent a year petting me when I did a 'good job' on my work. I swear he thought I was a puppy or something."

"That's unfortunate..." Will said with a raised eyebrow and suddenly reached out to tug on said little curl.

"Ah…" Ronald gave a small gasp.

"Darling…can I tease them a bit?" Grell whispered into Undertaker's ear so the other two wouldn't hear.

"Oh, please do..." Undertaker snickered to his lover.

The redhead grinned and hopped up, ignoring the stitch in his side from his injury, and walked over, plopping onto Ronald's bed, "Oh now that's not how you make this 'Puppy' moan~ Here, let me show you." He grinned, pulling a startled Ronald up into a heated kiss, one hand reaching up to tug the curl, earning a reluctant but loud moan from the younger reaper.

Undertaker giggled madly and sauntered over to get a better view.

"Grell, what are you doing?" William said lowly, looking incredibly displeased as he moved forward as if to pull them apart.

"What does it look like he's doing, dear William?" Undertaker asked as he helped himself to William's lap, preventing the supervisor from taking his course of action. "Look how pretty they are together..."

William's eyebrow twitched.

"The Hell, Senpai?!" Ronald gasped when Grell loosened his grip on Ronald's shirt enough for him to back away.

"Just stealing a moan~" the redhead giggled.

"Are you quite done now, Grell?" William asked with a scowl.

Undertaker laughed, then grabbed William by the back of the head and forced the supervisor's ear against his chest and pet his hair in a very patronizing way. "Shhh, dear William. Don't be upset. Just appreciate the beauty of the moment."

"…You two were made for each other." Ronald said, rolling his eyes.

"Thank you~ we do _fit_ rather nicely together~" Grell giggled.

"So go back over to your bed." The blond added.

William yanked his head out of Undertaker's grip which mussed his hair. He frowned as he tried to fix it, "Sir, kindly get off and go back to molesting Grell if you insist on being a nuisance," William muttered.

"I think I might!" he chuckled and tapped Will's nose as he stood. He walked over to Grell and carefully scooped him up into his arms. "Come, milady, I've things I must do to you," he purred and carried Grell back over to his own bed.

"Oh~ Please do~" Grell purred, pawing at the Undertaker's robes.

"…can you at least draw the curtain between our beds?" Ronald asked.

Undertaker obviously ignored Ron's request as he caught Grell's lips in a passionate kiss.

Will groaned and stood to yank the curtain closed, then stomped back over to Ron and caught him up in his own kiss to reclaim his lover's lips as his own.

Ronald immediately returned the kiss, pulling William further onto the bed, "Mmmm…" when the kiss ended he smirked, "Jealous, much?"

"More like I know that you do not enjoy being teased like that," William grinned and let himself be dragged onto the bed.

"True…but it's standable if it's you." He grinned, using his fingers to comb William's hair back down a bit more.

"Thank you," Will said as Ron smoothed his hair back down. Then his eyes went wide and his face went red as he heard the telltale squeaking of bedsprings and moans coming from the other side of the curtain.

"No one is going to be able to sleep with all that racket," Will mumbled and buried his face in Ron's neck.

"On the the-ah!- contrary!" Undertaker panted from places unseen. "I'm going to- MNN!- knock milady right out! Hee hee hee! AHH~!"

"W-Wellllhaaaa! Ahn…c-can t-try-yaahn! UNNIE~!"

Ronald's face went bright, "…Will...please tell me I don't sound like that…"

"Don't worry, you don't," William grumbled, then pressed a kiss to Ron's neck. "You sound much better than that," he chuckled softly.

Just then there was the sound of the door clicking open and footsteps entering the room.

"Oi! Ron, heard ya-WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!?" Eric's voice yelled in outrage and Undertaker somehow managed to cackle/moan. "You're in a bleedin' hospital ya wankers!"

Eric rushed through the curtain holding a bouquet of flowers and pulled it closed behind him. "You buggers better not-" he turned around to look at Will and Ron. "Oh good."

He sighed with relief and looked down at the bouquet in his hands.

"Here! Take yer bloody flowers, Grell!" he yelled as he reached around the curtain and blindly threw the bouquet which hit someone or something with a rustle.

"Thank you, Eric~!" Undertaker panted and giggled.

Eric's eye twitched as he looked to Ron and Will.

"So, how are you, other than your shitty neighbors?"

"Ready to move." Ronald sighed, "Though I'm starting to think they are going to give me a room all my own in this place…tack my name up on the door and everything." He joked.

"At this rate, they oughta start chargin' ya rent!" Eric laughed.

William spoke up, "Oh! Since you're here, Eric, have you felt abnormal at all since the incident at the factory? Or has Alan shown any strange symptoms?"

Eric thought for a moment. "Ah, nope. Nothin' unusual."

"Great…it's just Grell and I…" Ronald groaned.

"That seems to be the case, which is good because it means no more are affected, but also bad because you _are_ affected," William said with a sigh. "All we can really do now is see if the same thing happens again tonight."

"I hope not. I rather dislike waking in a strange place miles away from my bed…and if my leg gets put through much more strain while it's healing I fear it may never heal."

"My hope is also that it will not happen again, but if it does, we can at least try and find the cause."

Eric eventually left, unable to listen to Undertaker and Grell carry on leaving William to stay up all night to monitor Ron. His efforts were thankfully in vain as there was no repeat of sleepwalking and the blond remained stationary as he slept. Perhaps it was just a freak incident, but the supervisor would not let down his guard entirely. Over the next few nights, he stayed at Ron's side to make sure there was not a repeat.

* * *

To be continued...


	17. Chapter 17

The end of the work day was drawing near, and Grell was sitting on his bed in the shared hospital room, shifting through a bag of things Undertaker had brought over for him. "I think we should do something special tonight as it is our last night of being room mates!" Grell giggled.

Ronald looked up from his book, "Why does that suggestion scare me?"

"Oh come on, it's really nothing, Ronnie! Nothing is going to happen tonight to us, because nothing has all week. This is just a surprise from us girls to the boys!"

"…I'm not a girl, Senpai." Ronald said, setting his book aside, "And you know that."

The redhead shrugged, "Just let me enjoy this. Ah! This one!" He pulled out a bundle of white cloth and walked over to Ronald's bed, "Strip!"

"Oh no, I know where this is going."

"Ronald Oliver Knox! You still owe me. I never visited you at home so now you are paying me back for making me feel heartbreak! You can't refuse or complain!"

Ronald cringed, "Fine, but then you can't complain to Will or I anymore…" he said, removing his shirt.

"Good boy. Put this on and I'll help lace you up." Grell said, walking back over to this bag and pulling out a red Lolita dress.

Ronald sighed and held up his own embarrassingly innocent-looking dress, almost identical to The one Grell was slipping into.

After Grell laced up the back of Ronald's dress, he pulled out a long orange ribbon, using it as a sash around Ronald's waist, then he sat Ronald down, doing his makeup and fastening an orange flower into his hair. Grell then finished his own look and smiled, "Ah, Ronda, you look so cute." He giggled.

Ronald sighed, feeling a headache coming on…no, not just a headache, his head went fuzzy and started buzzing as a wave of dizziness swept over him.

"…Will and Unnie will be so sur—" Grell stopped talking, swaying on his feet and pressing his hand to his forehead right before the two dress-clad reapers collapsed to the floor.

* * *

 

William had just met Undertaker on his way into the hospital. The mortician carried a huge bouquet of roses, larger than the usual he'd been bringing by everyday for Grell which he said was because they would be celebrating the redhead's last night away from home. William rolled his eyes and headed up to the room, his own gift of a home cooked dinner in hand for Ron to save him from the monotony of the cafeteria food.

He was surprised to find the room empty upon opening the door as the nurse hadn't mentioned anything about the two going anywhere. Undertaker tilted his head curiously and noticed the bag left on Grell's bed and the hospital gowns on both beds.

"Oh, I know what our little darlings are up to," he grinned. "Now I wonder where they may be hiding?"

"What do you mean?" William asked.

"Grell asked me to bring by a few special little accouterments," he said as he picked up one of the discarded hospital gowns. "And I think they've donned them."

William raised an eyebrow and looked around. "But where could they possibly be hiding? There is nowhere to go. I'm going to go ask another nurse if they've gone somewhere."

"Where are you, milady?" Undertaker sing-songed looking beneath the beds, behind curtains, in the linen closet. "This isn't as amusing as it should be..." Then he wandered over to the open window wondering if his crazy little ginger had gotten extremely daring.

William left the room to grab a nurse only to hear that she'd heard nothing, but she'd keep an eye out. The nurse walked over to the front desk and pulled up the files on Ronald and Grell, frowning. She approached Doctor Knapp and asked him if they were being moved or were out for some reason.

Alarmed, the doctor took the files and rushed to the room where they should be staying, looking around, "Did you two just get here?" he asked.

"Yes," William replied, alarm rising in his chest. "They aren't in therapy or the cafeteria?"

Undertaker turned from the open window, "Where have they gone to?" the mortician asked, tapping a nail to his lip. "It isn't beyond Grell to play a little game of hide and seek, but someone would have seen them if they'd left the room, _especially_ if they were wearing those dresses..."

Knapp raised an eyebrow, "…Dresses?" he shook the unimportant thought from his head, "No, Knox completed his usual therapy for the day before Lunch, Mister Sutcliff is healed but was only staying for his observation period. They had lunch together and Miss Vivian, I believe, brought them back to the room…Why is that window open?"

"It was open when we arrived," Undertaker said, still looking out as if he would spot the missing two.

"…That window was locked. Part of the nightly observation on the two."

"What are you suggesting, doctor?" William asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That the mysterious condition that caused the two to disappear that night with no memory of anything…may not be something that happens only at night when they are sleeping. We may have lost them again and have no idea where they can be found."

"We need to search the grounds," William said, heading for the door.

Undertaker, feeling impatient, hopped out the window and searched the ground for evidence of footprints to see if he could figure out which direction they might have headed.

William frowned, but hurried out of the hospital to meet with the elder reaper outside so they could search together.

The doctor followed, walking over to where Undertaker was looking at some trampled flowers in the flowerbed outside the window, obvious indentations in the damp earth that heels had dug down into it and leaving a trail of dirt heading a few feet forward. "…Well...it looks like Mister Sutcliff, at least, left this way…"

"Miss," Undertaker corrected, wagging a finger as his eyes followed the trail of dirt.

"Were could Ron have gotten to? And how? He isn't very mobile..." William wondered aloud as he went off in the direction Grell's trail showed.

"His physical condition didn't stop him before. Which worries me that some of the damage in his leg may grow to be a permanent ailment…which most likely will affect his work performance." Knapp straightened up, "But we must find them quickly. I will accompany you in the search."

William nodded to the doctor and continued to follow Grell's trail just behind Undertaker.

The trio followed the trail as best they could, but when they hit cobblestone, all of them were at a loss. It seemed Grell had gone into London, but there was no way of knowing where or when. The best they could hope was to split up. William told to doctor to go back to the hospital in case Ron and Grell showed up again, then he and Undertaker split up and took to the rooftops to go in search of their lovers, carefully searching every street and alleyway they came across.

* * *

 

In the center of town, Grell moaned, his skin feeling as if it were on fire. He opened his eyes, groaning as the light assaulted his sight as he looked around.

It had happened again. He defiantly was not in the hospital anymore…and what was weighing him down? He grunted as he sat up, finding a dress-clad Ronald laying unconscious across his lap. "Ron! Ronnie!" Grell shook the younger reaper, getting only a pained groan in response.

The redhead sighed and shifted Ronald off his legs and pushed himself up. A wave of nausea overtook him and he leaned against the nearby wall as he heaved. Once he felt a little better, he walked over on unsteady legs and picked Ronald up, half dragging the blood-splattered young man down the alleyway, away from the unnoticed corpse of a demon slowly rotting away into a black mist.

Grell's toe caught on a raised stone of the road, sending himself and Ronald tumbling to the ground.

"Are you ladies okay?" a concerned man asked, spotting them and rushing over from where he had been talking to a couple.

"Oh dear! What happened, dears?" asked the woman as she and her husband followed.

Grell groaned and pushed himself up. These were humans…so he lost no time in making up a story so he wouldn't have to explain why a boy like Ronald was in a dress.

"I..I'm not sure…My little sister and I were walking home and then…I'm not sure…"

One man picked Ronald up bridal style as the other helped Grell up, "Should we help you to the hospital? Or home?" the second man asked.

"Just…where are we exactly?"

"Oh, you're sister's lovely hair seems to have been cut off, the poor thing. Was it as long as yours?" the woman asked.

Grell ignored her and looked up at the man holding Ronald.

"Fleet street, Miss."

"Fleet street? Then…Could you help us to the local undertaker's shop a few blocks from here?"

"The undertaker…? Why, miss?"

"The mortician is a good friend of our father's…he'll help Ronda and I get home safe…"

"Uh…very well…if you are sure…" the men said, starting to walk.

 

* * *

 

 

Undertaker had the instinctual urge to return home, hoping that maybe Grell had felt the same thing. If the poor dear was sleep walking, then maybe he was trying to get home again...He headed in the direction of the mortuary and hoped listening to his gut was right.

"It seems he isn't here." The woman said when she found the dark shop locked up tight.

"I don't feel right about leaving you ladies alone here…Especially in the condition the two of you are in."

"We'll be fine. Thank you, gentlemen…Mam." Grell said, though the three humans didn't show signs of leaving.

Undertaker had just arrived a few buildings down from his shop when he noted the pack of humans and the two missing reapers at his front door. He dropped down to the street and hurried over to look over the younger, dress-clad reapers. "Where have you been, my dears? We've been worried sick!"

"We found them stumbling out of an alley over near fleet street. They don't seem to remember anything…" The man holding Grell up said, "Of course her little sister here hasn't said anything."

"Unnie!" Grell stumbled forward into the retired reaper's arms.

Undertaker gathered Grell into his embrace and pet his hair soothingly.

"It's alright, darling. Let's get you and your sister inside to rest a spell," he said as he unlocked the door and motioned for the humans to follow and bring Ron. He sat Grell on a coffin and kicked another one open for them to lay Ron in.

"Don't worry, it's just a temporary measure," he grinned at the shocked expressions of the other three. "Thank you very kindly for helping these dears, I will take care of them from here. Now, should you ever need any funerary services, I'll be glad to oblige to show my gratitude~!"

With a cheerful grin he ushered the humans out of his shop, hailing a hansom while he was at it, and hurried back inside over to Grell to pull the redhead into his arms again.

"Come, now, darling, you look a fright. Let's get you and Ron back to the hospital. You can explain what happened on the way." Undertaker got Grell situated in the cab then went back for Ron, carrying the unconscious blond carefully and holding him gingerly in his lap as they got on their way. "What happened, my dear?"

Grell shook his head, leaning heavily against his lover, "I don't know…we were getting ready to surprise you and then…my head started feeling funny…and I woke up back in that alley. Ron won't wake up…and I don't know…"

"Its fine darling," Undertaker said soothingly. "Are you hurt?"

The redhead nodded, "Feel ill as well…Where is Will? I would think he'd be out looking for Ronnie."

"He is scouring London as we speak, my dear. Once I have you two safely back in the hospital, I will go find him. You know he would be displeased with me if I did otherwise, as would I him had he been the one to find you," Undertaker said softly, then looked down and patted Ron's face to see if he could get a reaction.

Ronald gave a small groan and his head turned to the side.

"I think he got the worst of it this time…" Grell said, "…Shame the dresses got ruined."

"A shame, or an opportunity, my dear? It means you get to go shopping once you're up for it," he laughed softly and stroked Grell's face to comfort him.

It did not take long for them to arrive back at the hospital. As soon as Grell and Ron were seen to, Undertaker took off in search of William. It took him longer than he liked to track down the supervisor, but he managed to wrangle him and explained the situation on their way back.

William hurried back to doctor Knapp to hear what the diagnosis was for Ron.

"They both came in with signs of extreme blood loss." Knapp said, "Most of the blood soaking their clothes were their own this time. The other, tests showed was that of a demon. Mister Spears…We are reluctant to do this, but we wish to take blood samples of them both and run a few tests, as well as contact…Demonic and Angelic doctors to run their own tests to see if there is something in their domain affecting them. Of course for such a thing we need a man of your position or higher to sign off on it."

William blinked in surprise at the news.

"Of course I will authorize it," he said with a nod. "Do you have any suspicions as to what it is that is affecting them this way? I don't mean a medical diagnosis, I am asking for your personal guess."

"Before we sedated him, Mister Sutcliff was able to give us a more detailed description as to what he remembered right before he woke up in the alley. It sounds similar to a rare type of possession that has been thought to be lost to the three immortal realms, though as to how it is being used on two reapers is beyond me. It had only been used on humans back in the dark ages. My personal guess, mister Spears, is that they are suffering from a twisted form of blood possession."

The doctor rubbed the back of his neck, "Blood possession allows the controller to take over a victim's body for a short amount of time from a safe distance. The more powerful the controller, the further that distance can be. It is done by infecting the victim with his or her own blood. That has been self-shed in a ritual. This blood can be absorbed through the skin, so it is hard to tell when or where a victim was infected. The controller can activate his control over the victim at any time if he has enough energy, and a safe place to draw the correct sigil. This, of course renders the controller weak afterwards as he or she must use their own blood in the ritual. Which would explain why it took so long for it to happen a second time. Especially with him taking control of both reapers at the same time, assuming there is only one person involved in this.

"However, each time control is taken, the time in which the perpetrator can stay in control lengthens, and their hold over the victim is strengthened. In some cases, the victim can loose themselves completely, leaving them an empty living marionette for their puppeteer. Testing by all three capable parties of the realms could determine if there are traces of Demon, Angel, or even a Rouge Reaper behind this. We can test for it ourselves, but if the traces of blood are cursed, it would not be detectable by our team unless the guilty party is in fact of reaper kind."

"And how is it cured?"

"…I have set our researchers out to find out if there is one."

William let the information sink in. The obvious solution was to find the controller and destroy him...and there were any number of reasons why someone would want to control two shinigami. But, that meant it was also very likely that Forge and Strain had been killed by-

"Then they need to be confined and possibly restrained until then. If this is a case of blood possession as you believe, then we have several days to try and find out who is dong this to them and why before it happens again. Please send out those samples as soon as possible."

"Of course. It'll be a day before we can take those samples safely from Mister Knox and Mister Sutcliff. So I'll have the paperwork written up and sent to your office for signatures so that everything will be ready. We currently have them in their same room if you wish to go sit with Mister Knox."

"Yes, thank you doctor," William said before heading off to the room. Undertaker was already there sitting with Grell, holding his hand and not saying anything, which was extremely rare for the elder reaper.

Will made his way to Ron's side and took his hand, very much mirror the other couple in the room, and looked on him with extreme concern.

After about an hour, Ronald gave a weak moan and his eyes flickered open slightly, his head slowly turned, and he parted his parched lips, his voice rough and dry, "…Will…?"

"I'm here," Will said softly as he reached over to pour a fresh glass of water from the pitcher next to Ron's bed. "If you're thirsty, I'll help you sit up."

Ronald nodded, "…please…" He let William help him sit up and took the glass, drinking from it, "…What happened?"

"You don't remember anything?" William asked softly. He knew the answer was going to be no...it was more rhetorical, but it still worried him. "Doctor Knapp has a theory as to what it is that's causing these episodes, but we will not know for sure until blood samples are taken and tested."

William gave a sigh knowing his lover would want to know anyway, and related to Ron what doctor Knapp had told him about blood possession, speaking loud enough for Undertaker and Grell to hear as well.

"We have a few days to find out who is behind this if this is the case, and believe me, I will be searching."

The room was silent for a few minutes, until Grell finally broke the silence, "So…Some tart is screwing with my head and making me do things? I'm crazy enough without having someone else up there!"

"Who would even want to control us? For what purpose? " Ronald asked.

"There are many reasons to want to control a pair of reapers. Access to a death scythe being the main one, I would think," he said carefully. "To be sure that neither of you suffers from this again, I think it would be best to have you supervised constantly and confined in a more secure location, both for your safety and the safety of others. I am not sure where the most secure place would be, though."

"You're going to lock us up?" Ron blinked.

"Oh~ that could be exciting. Unnie can still come see me, right?" Grell asked, squeezing Undertaker's hand.

"For you maybe…But it makes me feel I've been forced to go rogue." Ronald frowned.

"Mmmn, nothing could stop me from being at your side, my dear, _especially_ if you're all tied up like a pretty little present~!" Undertaker purred and kissed Grell's hand.

"It is not imprisonment or expulsion, Ron, it's to make sure you don't hurt yourself or anyone else if you are under compulsion. The doctor is afraid that you are going to cause yourself permanent damage if you push yourself again. And you will not suffer alone. I will be with you as much as possible."

"I still don't like it." Ronald frowned, "I don't like the idea of not being in control of my own actions. What if it happens again when you are with me and I hurt you?"

"It is a chance I am willing to take," William said squeezing his hand. "And besides, if it is blood possession as the doctor theorizes, then we have several days to try and determine who is behind it. It might not even be an issue again if we can track down who is behind it and either take them out or force an answer for a cure from them."

"You may be willing to risk it, but I don't want to be responsible for you getting hurt…or worse." Ronald said, reaching out and touching his cheek.

"I understand that, but I would not want to you feel as if you've done something wrong. You haven't," William said, pressing into Ron's hand. "Do not worry too much. You might not even have another episode."

"…I still would rather be back at work, stuck with overtime. Especially if I'm in the same room as Grell-senpai and Undertaker comes to see him like he normally does."

"Oh! You wouldn't mind so much if Will did the same for you! Or…you could always join in~" Grell teased.

"I know," William sighed. "If I could assign you to be elsewhere, I would."

"Oh, William, is your darling young man feeling under-loved?" Undertaker chuckled. "I certainly don't mind including him in our debauchery..."

William raised an eyebrow at the other couple.

"Unless he initiates it, _no_ ," he replied coolly, then turned back to Ron and leaned down to whisper softly in his ear. "But if you are feeling stifled, I can arrange something for the two of us."

Ronald's face gained a light hue of pink, "Not that I need it or anything…but…you know…if you want to I don't mind…"

"Awe, adorable. Are you two planning a romantic run-away?" Grell giggled.

William ignored Grell's commentary and raised an eyebrow at Ron.

"You don't need it?" he asked, slyly caressing his hand over Ron's thigh. "No one _needs_ it, and when it comes to you I always want it, but only if you do, too."

He leaned in and kissed the blond softly before moving to whisper in his ear again.  
"Do you want it?" he purred, his hand shifting higher on the younger reaper's thigh.

The younger reaper's cheeks darkened. What was William doing? Teasing like this in-front of people? No, not just anyone…Grell and Undertaker. The night in the park was different, no one had been around, at least that they knew of. And now the older reaper seemed to be fishing for an answer from him. It was almost sadistic.

But at the same time, he wondered how far William would take his whisperings and touching…part of him wanted to know if William wanted him to beg for it…

"Oh just take him already, Will! It's easy access. He's still in his lovely dress after all. They haven't brought clean hospital gowns, and I worked hard to make him pretty for you!" Grell interrupted again.

Will pulled back slightly from Ron's ear to kiss his cheek as he removed his hand from the younger reaper's thigh.

"Maybe when you are a little more healed up I'll do just as Grell suggests," he whispered and pressed a soft kiss to the blond's lips.

"Even if I beg?" He whispered back teasingly, though he knew they wouldn't get far at the current time, because he was dizzy from blood loss.

Will grinned and leaned in to whisper back to him.

"If you begged, I would gladly give you what you wanted and I would be sure to not let you exert yourself."

It was too much for Ronald's already red face, "Ah! Will! Why would you say that when those two are in the room?"

He had forgotten to whisper, and Grell giggled, "Oh~ Someone's a naughty boy~"

William blinked at Ron, "You were the one teasing _me_!" he said with a laugh.

"I knew he was a tease. He looks the type," Undertaker grinned.

"You teased first. I stand by my early accusation. Your middle name is Tease!"

"I do believe they have forgotten we are here, Unnie." The redhead giggled, "We get a show tonight~"

"If they _have_ forgotten that we're here, then we might as well take advantage of it, hmm?" Undertaker grinned and leaned in for a kiss.

"Not that it matters if they know we are here or not." Grell giggled, wrapping his arms around Undertaker. "But I am still a bit dizzy…so try not to jostle me too much, Darling~"

"Or, here's a plot twist," Undertaker said softly as he nuzzled Grell's hair. "Why don't I just hold you and bask in your presence, milady?"

Grell smiled, "In that case I require you to get into this bed with me properly!"

Undertaker scurried into bed with Grell, laying alongside him and pulling him into a gentle embrace, nuzzling his neck affectionately.

William leaned in again and nipped Ron's ear, "It's not teasing if I intend to make good on it." He tilted Ron's chin up and brought him into a kiss, gently slipping his tongue between the other's lips for a passionate but not frenzied kiss.

"Well…do you intend as much?" Ronald muttered against Will's lips, his arms folding around his torso.

William smirked against Ron's lips, "When you're all better, yes..."

Ronald pouted, "See? You're a tease."

William merely raised an eyebrow again before carefully scooping Ron into his arms and marching towards the door, "Don't complain, then, Knox," Will said carrying Ron out of his shared room to one adjacent and conveniently unoccupied. "I told you I could make arrangements."

He set Ron on the bed, went back to lock the door and stripped off his jacket before crawling over the blond on the bed and kissing him hard. The kiss eventually cooled as William pulled back to trace lips over this lover's as his hand went back to caressing up his thigh, "Are you going to beg?" he purred wickedly.

Ronald's face couldn't get any redder as he glanced over at the locked door before looking up at his lover, curling his arms around his neck, "Please, Will, please take me."

William couldn't think of anything more appropriate than capturing his lover's mouth again and pinning his wrists to his sides to show that he would gladly accept the offer. He knelt between his lover's thighs and slowly brought the blond's wrists up above his head to pin them with one hand while the other slid up Ron's scanty skirt to grope his inner thigh. He growled softly into the blond's mouth as his fingers caressed higher.

The younger reaper moaned into his lover's mouth, shifting his wrists in a mock-struggle as he slid his leg up to press against William's hand. He kissed back hungrily, wanting to taste him, to feel him…it had only been a week, but it felt more like months since their walk in the park. His kisses and shifting begged William more than his words had.

William's fingers traced higher along Ron's smooth skin and came across the frilly edges of a garter. It had probably been aiding in holding up a stocking that had gotten lost in whatever fray the two had gotten into... Having never experienced such a phenomenon, Will hooked his finger around the lacy little strip and pulled it back to snap lightly, then felt over to his other thigh to find the same thing. Will grinned against the blond's lips as he fingers drifted higher still and barely brushed over the apex of his thighs when the sensation of silk surprised him. He pressed his palm over Ron's groin, taking in the delightfully smooth, silky fabric that encased him. Grell had really gone all out and though Ron was probably embarrassed to death, William found it to be a sensual delight.

"Mnnnn," he hummed into Ron's mouth as he continued to palm him, rubbing the silky material against his awakening erection and slightly tightening his grip on his wrists.

Ronald's legs flinched slightly at the snap of the small straps against his skin, and a small gasp got caught between their lips. He had forgotten about what lay beneath the dress he had been forced into, and the playing with the garter belt was a quick reminder. However, William's reaction to the thin silk panties distracted him enough from his embracement over his garments. He twisted his wrists more and rolled his hips to press against the hand running along the silky undergarments. He lifted his legs, with no regard to how it caused his skirts to fall, exposing himself more to William. He was, after all, a man. Not a lady. He wrapped his legs around William's waist and pulled him in closer against his crotch.

Before Ron could pull him in too closely, Will reached down and undid his belt, dropped his zipper, and freed himself from his trousers. When the blond did manage to pull him in closer, he shamelessly started grinding against him over the silky panties, shivering slightly from the smooth softness contrasting with the hard pulsing member hidden beneath.

"Mnnhhh," he moaned and bit his lip as he continued to grind against him gently, not wanting to jostle his lover's injured leg too much. He made a show of bringing his fingers to his lips and sucking on them very lewdly, still pinning his lover's wrists as he shifted his hips to keep their lengths sliding against one another. He slowly drew his fingers from between his lips and reached down to pull the silken fabric aside and expose Ron's entrance to Will's questing fingers. His fingertips circled a few times, then pressed in slowly, pumping in and out gently before suddenly thrusting in hard and fast.

"Ah!" the younger reaper rolled his hips again, grinding his silk-covered member up harder against William. He lifted his head off the pillow, catching the older reaper's ear and nipping at it before sucking and nibbling along his jaw.

Will turned his head to offer more of his neck as he continued to teasingly grind against and prepare his lover. He wanted to draw this out, but both of them were obviously desperate and he honestly did not know how long they had before someone noticed the locked door. Without warning, Will removed his fingers and thrust himself into Ron with a growl, burying himself to the hilt as his nails dug into the blond's wrists. "Nnn-AH!" Will gasped and started a slow, steady rhythm, hitting hard and deep with every thrust.

"Nngahh!" Ronald cried out, his arms flinching upwards in want of grabbing a hold of William as he was suddenly thrust into and given no time to adjust, but William's grip on his wrists held his arms in place. He moaned loudly, his arms struggling against Will's grasp, which surprisingly turned him on even more, sending pleasurable chills through his body as he lifted his hips to meet with the older reaper's thrusts, and his legs clung to his waist.

Will gently clapped his hand over Ron's mouth to muffle his loud moan. He moved his hand to leave only one finger over his lover's lips and leaned in, still rolling his hips to thrust into him hard and deep. "Shhhhh..." he purred dragging his finger down Ron's chin then sealed his mouth over the other's as he finally used both of his hands to keep Ron's wrists pinned above his head. He thrust into Ron as hard as he dared to not hurt his ribs or his leg, and he swallowed every shout and moan the blond let loose. He loved how expressive and hungry he was...

The blond continued to struggle and moan, his body heating up and writhing under Will's, and a dull throb steadily growing stronger in his silk-covered crotch. "Mm-n-mmmh"

Will continued to thrust hard, feeling Ron tightening around him. He was absolutely beautiful the way he writhed. William smirked and leaned down to nip his lover's ear, "Do you want me to touch you?" he purred, pinning Ron's wrist with one hand and using the other to ghost over his silk enrobed shaft, "Do you want me to make you come?" he half panted, half growled into Ron's ear as he pressed his hand harder against Ron's manhood, stroking him through the panties.

"Y-Yes! The young reaper begged, "Please! Please make me come for you!" he panted desperately, rolling his hips against Will's hand and allowing the angle to change the pounding inside him, "Ah-h!"

William had had no idea that Ron could be so...wanton. He swore that the sound of his lover's begging he felt himself grow harder as he picked up his pace and slipped his hand inside the panties to stroke Ron's twitching member in earnest. He groaned into his mouth, purring and panting as he felt the tension in his gut mounting almost painfully, but there was no way he was going to allow himself to spill before Ron.

The blond's moans and gasps were muffled, but still grew louder against his lover's lips, and all at once, his legs kicked out and down against the bed, aiding in his back's arc as he climaxed, "MmmMAHH~!" he cried out, his lips slipping off Will's to let out more of his half-muffled cry, his load catching against the silken barrier.

The angle Ron's body took as he came sent Will shivering and he gave a few hard, deep thrusts before succumbing and filling his lover with a cry of his own. He shook and twitched as he groaned before collapsing atop the blond, panting hard. "H-have I told you lately that I love you?" he half panted and chuckled as he nuzzled his lover's chest.

"N-never…get tired of hearing it, Love." Ronald panted back, laying limp on the bed, his soft gaze down at the top of William's head.

Will rubbed soothing circles over Ron's chest.

"I didn't hurt your ribs again, did I?"

Ronald shook his head, "If you did my body is too tingly to know right now…but they had healed before, it's mostly just my leg at this point…"

"Well that's something, I suppose. Perhaps I work better than morphine," he chuckled softly as he sat up to pull out and he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to help clean up his lover a bit. "If I'd known you liked such aggressiveness, I would have jumped you like that sooner."

"H-had I known myself I would have said something." Ronald blushed.

William chuckled as he peeled the sticky panties off of Ron.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be comfortable to stay in those," he said as he balled them up and stuck them in his pocket before cleaning him off a little more. "And I had no idea silk felt so nice against certain parts of anatomy. We will have to experiment with this more," he said with a lewd grin. "Shall I get you back to your proper room before anyone suspects anything?"

"What, with senpai's big mouth? Probably is all over the building by now." Ronald chuckled, putting his arms around Will's neck. "Try not to flash my bare rear to everyone though. That's only for you to see."

"Really? I know for a fact I am not the only one to have ever seen it. Though if I am to live up to my nickname of 'Tease'..." William grinned and ran his hand not so subtly over is lover's bottom as he made his way to the door. "...then maybe I should give everyone a teasing view."

"…What makes you so sure you are not the only one to see it?"

"Well, perhaps I am the only one to see it the way I do. But you've said before that Eric has seen you naked, I'm sure all the doctors and nurses here have seen it with how breezy those hospital gowns are, and I would not be surprised if Grell has seen it during one of his insane attempts of putting you in frilly clothing."

"Eric only saw me from the front…though I guess you could be right about the nurses and doctors… But still! You're the only one I've let see it…or do things to." Ronald blushed.

William paused in opening the door to look at Ron curiously.

"You were...a virgin...before me?"

Ronald nodded, "Surprised? I may be a social butterfly, but I never did anything serious with someone that I didn't mean. I had never seen the point."

William couldn't help but lean in and kiss Ron softly.

"So it is safe to assume that you must be pretty serious about me, then..." he said as he smiled against the younger reaper's lips.

"You had doubts?" Ronald smiled back, kissing the dark haired reaper, "Of course I'm serious about you."

"No, I had no doubts, but a surprise affirmation is always nice," he said with a fond smile. "You are a very important first for me, as well. You...you are the first person I have ever fallen in love with," he said as his cheeks turned red.

Ronald blushed, kissing him deeply again, "Sh-shall we go try to ignore the looks the other two will be giving us?"

"Yes, let's," William laughed softly as he finally opened the door, making sure to have Ron's skirts pulled up so as to not show off his naked arse, and casually walked back into the shared room to place Ron back onto his bed.

Undertaker was still happily curled up with Grell, whispering sweet nothings into his ear, but looked up to the other two and grinned.

"Did you two have fun next door?" he grinned lecherously.

"Of course, we could hear that you did." Grell giggled, "I never imagined Ronnie to make such erotic moans. You must know what you are doing, Will-iam~"

Ronald groaned, "Could you please not say anything more?"

"Nope~ Oh, and you can keep the panties and garter." The redhead giggled.

"I intend to keep them. I doubt you'd want them back as they are," William said with a quirked eyebrow to the redhead.

"May I try to make you scream for me like that, darling?" Undertaker purred as he traced Grell's cheek with a nail.

"Any time, Darling~" The redhead said, rolling over to face his lover and nibbling along the scar around his neck, "Enjoy them that much, Will? See, Ronnie? I told you he'd like them."

"Please, not now, Senpai."

"He resisted them so much I had to shred his boxers to get him to put them on!"

* * *

To be continued...


	18. Chapter 18

Weeks later, a large room in the basement of the infirmary building had been converted into a small apartment, two bedrooms, a main room, and a simple bathroom, which Grell and Ronald had been moved to and locked in. Vivian or another nurse would bring them their meals, and Doctor Knapp would go down for Ronald's physical therapy.

William and Undertaker were allowed to visit at any time as well, and a current visit was what Doctor Knapp was counting on. He hurried into the windowless basement and unlocked the door to let himself in, "Oh good, you are here, Mister Spears."

"Is there something wrong, doctor?" William asked politely.

The medical reaper held up a stack of documents, "We have received back the results for the blood tests. And it is a bit alarming. Maybe you should call Mister Sutcliff out."

"He's in his room with Undertaker." Ronald said, "I don't wish to be the one to interrupt them."

"I'll do it," William sighed and went to knock on Grell's door. "Grell, sir, Doctor Knapp is here with the test results."

"Test results? Grell's breathy voice questioned, "O-Oh! Be right out~"

Moments later, Grell's door opened and the redhead walked out wrapped in a red silk sheet, Dragging Undertaker by the hair out and over to a chair.

"…You two couldn't even put on pants?" Ronald asked.

"No need~ We'd have to take them off all over again!" Grell giggled, wiggling on his lover's lap.

Undertaker grinned lecherously and gripped Grell's hips to keep him pulled tight against him.

"How right you are, beloved," he purred and kissed Grell's cheek.

William shook his head at the display, no longer really affected by their lewdness having practically lived with them for the last while, and instead he turned to the doctor.

"So, what did the tests find?"

"Our own tests showed nothing. However…both the angels and the demons testing did find minute traces in both blood samples. As if you have been infected with both. Yet they say it is so small of a trace that it isn't nearly enough for blood possession." He said, getting straight to the point.

Undertaker's expression immediately sobered and Will's eyes widened at the news.

"Then...what could it be?" William asked in a bewildered voice.

"That, we have no idea." Knapp said, removing his glasses and using his lab coat to clean the lenses, "Frankly; we are stumped."

"So, what now? Senpai and I stay locked up for the rest of eternity?" Ronald asked.

"Of course not. We will continue to work towards an answer and a cure, but as of right now, we have no leads to go off."

"We cannot keep them secluded forever, William. They have not had an episode since," Undertaker frowned.

"I understand that, but we do not have much other choice, either, if we do not want to see them harm themselves again. Then again, it is not really my choice in the end. Ronald, Grell, what do you want to do?"

"Go home, of course." Ronald said matter-of-factly.

"I agree, it gets so dull not being able to leave or work." Grell nodded.

"If that is what you want, then that is what we will do. I agree that it isn't fair to keep you under such heavy surveillance...though I wonder if those episodes were just a fluke?"

"I would like both of them to be accompanied at all times by someone, should they be leaving here. Just as a measure of safety until we can find out what is going on." The doctor said, nodding.

"Question; Can I return to work yet?" Ronald asked.

"As long as you do not start running around and re-injure that leg." He nodded.

"Well, if Ron can finally return to work, then it should not be an issue to keep an eye on him."

"As long as he has a partner apart from Mister Sutcliff on his field assignments."

"Miss! Please, Doctor. Honestly, I should start calling you Nurse every time you call me Mister!" Grell snapped.

* * *

 

William was actually relieved to have Ronald return to work, though it was the first time in a long time that they'd worked together...not since the incident with the skirt which had been months before. Everyone in the office seemed very happy to have him back and William was more than happy to let the blond bask in all the attention.

Over the months of his absence, the ladies that he had once wooed had forgotten their anger and disappointment in his relationship, just happy that he had returned to work after being in and out of the hospital so much.

Ronald slipped his paperwork into a folder and set it aside on his desk, getting up and walking to William's office, ignoring the lewd comments some of the other reapers were throwing at him, one near Eric earning a good elbow to the gut for his comment on how the boss must have ordered a booty call. He knocked on the door and popped his head in, "Have time for Lunch?"

William looked up from his work and blinked. He looked to Ron, then turned to look up at the clock behind him, his back and neck cracking in the process. He turned back to the blond to give him a slightly surprised look. "Considering I haven't gotten up and moved in the last six hours, I believe the answer is 'yes'," William said as he moved to stand, cracking more of his spine and his knees.

"Well then maybe we should take our lunch out side to get you some fresh air." Ronald chuckled, walking into the office and over to his lover, rubbing his shoulders to help ease the tension from being hunched over a desk for six hours.

The supervisor groaned softly at the welcome shoulder rub. It felt incredibly nice... "Thank you," he said softly as he cracked his neck. "But I agree. Getting out of this office sounds like a great idea." So why wasn't he moving? Ron's fingers kneading into his stiff muscles simply felt too good.

Ronald smiled and gripped William's shoulders tighter, pulling himself in to kiss his cheek, "Then lets go"

Right. William shook his head to clear it and moved toward the door and on to the break room. "Anywhere in particular you'd like to go?" William asked as he grabbed the lunches he'd made them from the icebox.

"Not really…there is always a bench in the nearby park." He suggested after a moment of thought.

"I'm sure you are quite tired of being cooped up anywhere," William laughed softly and walked with Ron to exit the building. "Are you really glad to be back at work?" Will asked as they made their way to the park.

"Well, the work part is a downer, but it's better than having nothing to do but read books all day." He shrugged, "And the office is better than the infirmary, without a doubt. I'll be happy if the only times I have to go back there are for the annual health inspections."

"As will I," William agreed. "I have missed being home...and apparently Mary has missed us. I found she chewed through one of the feet on the couch...Besides, I still need to teach you how to cook and once you're up for it we need to go dancing."

"Sounds like she has a bit of beaver in her." Ronald joked, pushing open the doors leading outside and holding it for William, "And while I can't say I'm excited about cooking…Dance I can't wait for. At least now I don't need that silly cane most of the time. Only when my leg starts to bother me."

"You'll come to enjoy cooking, I'm sure. It can be rather soothing, as can dancing, I suppose. My feet are itching to dance with you again," he said softly with a fond smile.

"Oh yeah? How about we try tonight then, should work let us." He asked, stretching his arms over his head as they walked through the gates of the Shinigami Realm and into London, "I promise to say something if my leg bothers me."

"Are you asking me on a date, Ron?" William said with a teasing smile.

"Hey, if you aren't interested I could ask one of those clingy receptionists…" the blond teased back.

"You could, but you'd hate it because you'd suddenly have yourself a demanding girlfriend," Will chuckled softly. "I am quite low maintenance. You'd come back."

Ronald grinned, "You sound so sure of that." He said, leaning over, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek quickly and then jogging on ahead into the park to find a bench.

Will smiled and shook his head, moving to catch up to Ron.

"Of course I'm sure of it," he countered. "With as much as you complain about overtime, I doubt you'd want a relationship that gave you the same sort of annoyance."

"I'm not sure if you are saying the ladies are just that high-maintenance…or if you are threatening me with overtime if I take one out instead of you." Ronald chuckled, sitting down on the bench and lifting his leg to cross his ankle over his knee, both arms spread along the back of the bench.

"Perhaps a little bit of both," Will answered handing over a sandwich to the blond and joining him on the bench.

"Hmmm…" Ronald looked up in thought; "Would I be serving said overtime _under_ your watchful eye?" he smirked.

"Maybe not under my eye per se, but you can assume what you like," Will smirked.

"We could have quite the scandal should you conveniently assure that we both stay after hours." He snickered, "So what's for lunch?"

"You were there when I was making it this morning," William chuckled as he held out a sandwich. "Turkey and swiss." Will sat back and dug into his lunch, "Where shall we go tonight, then?"

"I was there, but my mind wasn't on what you were making, it was on what you had already made. I could get fat eating your cooking." Ronald smirked, taking the offered sandwich and biting into it, "As for tonight…how about you choose? I always take us off to the pub. I'd like to see where you would take us…other than the spur-of-the-moment romantically kinky get away to the secret gazebo, of course."

"As if I would know where to go on a date, Ron," William scoffed. "But if that is what you'd like, then I am sure I can come up with something. Though perhaps instead of a gazebo it could be the back of a carriage," he said with a sly smirk.

"S-Sounds like a plan." Ronald said, hiding the blush that stained his cheeks by taking another bite of his lunch and turning to watch a nearby bird peck at the ground, "You…surprisingly know how to spice up our relationship."

"I've told you, Ron, you inspire a lot of things in me. Sometimes indecent things," he smiled softly. "Are you wanting to be wined and dined?"

"If you want a nicer date, I am certainly capable of it." Ronald smiled with a small nod, "I was a rich-kid after all."

"I'm not one for that type of formality. I enjoy simply being with you, but I think something a little nicer than usual is in order to celebrate your life regaining a little more normalcy."

"You know, before you shared your past with me…I would have thought that you were the type of guy who enjoys such things. Balls, fancy dinners, watching plays from a private box…"

"And I never would have thought you to be a 'rich kid' as you term it," William said, shrugging as he bit into his sandwich. "It's not that I don't like those things, but such luxury is hard to indulge in. All these years I had thought it was simply because I was stingy, but since the return of my memories I suppose that it was a leftover survival mechanism that never truly left me. Some things simply cannot be forgotten… Though now, I know I live comfortably so I can simply enjoy myself with the best company possible," he said smiling fondly at his lover.

"Well, as long as you don't turn rogue. Which I highly doubt would ever be possible." The blond smirked, shifting and leaning back against William's shoulder as he continued to eat, looking up at the sky.

"I certainly have no intention of ever doing so. My dedication to my work goes beyond my responsibility as a supervisor. It is a very personal drive. I gave up my memories and became what I am in an agreement for my sister's sake. And though the conditions have been fulfilled on both sides, I feel I am honor-bound to do my duty well, otherwise, I feel would dishonor myself and Mary. It is a similar drive that makes me loathe demons so much. I could not imagine the horror of discovering a demon devouring a loved one's soul..."

"Well, I would hope you needn't worry of such things. But I now feel the need to remind you not to work too hard. You have me now after all. And I don't think I like the idea of staying at home waiting for you to come home and only find out you are working all week without sleep again." He said, tilting his head back onto the older reaper's shoulder and looking at him.

"I cannot promise that I will not work late from time to time, or even that I will not work for days on end, but I do know that it has been my past that has motivated me until this point, even if I couldn't recall it...but you..." he said softly as he put his arm around the blond's shoulders, "...You are my present and hopefully you will also be my future," he whispered as he looked into Ron's eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere." Ronald whispered back, shifting to lean in and press his lips to Will's, "Promise."

The older reaper smiled softly against the other's lips as they met, not caring that they were out in public in the middle of the day. He was with the man he loved and he could not care less who saw.

Ronald smiled as he pulled back, leaning against his shoulder again taking another bite of his food, "Hey," he said after a while, "Do I have to go back to calling you 'Senpai' or 'Sir' during work hours?"

Will thought about that for a moment.

"I suppose it doesn't really matter since everyone knows about our relationship. Not to mention with Eric calling me by my first name all the time, others have been picking up on it. Do whatever makes you comfortable."

Ronald chuckled, "Well, I know of a few people who just lost there entire week's pay. Overheard a few of the guys taking bets on weather or not 'the boss's lover' had to call you 'sir' at the office. Only they used a more degrading word for me. So I hopped in on the bet saying you wouldn't care."

William quirked an eyebrow.

"Really? And who said this exactly?"

"Randy McConnel, Steven Musim, and David Johnson." He shrugged, counting off the names on his fingers, "They are always looking for a bet."

"And what did they call you?"

The blond shrugged again, "Bunch o' things… ' _office whore_ ,' 'the _supervisor's ass-sistant_ …' but the one that really got me was ' _the boss' glory hole._ '"

Will's eye twitched. He knew people would talk, but he hadn't expected such maliciousness. He was now going to make it a point to confront those particular men as Ron's lover _not_ his boss. He would not tolerate someone insulting Ron in such a way.

"Allow me to go with you when you collect your winnings," William said calmly.

Ronald raised an eyebrow, "…Alright… What are you planning?"

"A refresher course in what is considered appropriate conversation in the workplace," Will answered calmly.

"Right, as if that'll stop them. That'd be like getting Grell to do his paperwork on time and wear pants to work now that he's aloud to wear skirts."

"I can be very persuasive," William said coolly. His intended course of action had few verbal components, but Ron didn't need to know that, nor would he worry the young man over it.

"You could try, at least. People talk. Can't really stop that." Ronald shrugged, shoving the rest of the sandwich into his mouth and suddenly flopping over to rest his head in William's lap, looking up at him.

Will smiled down at Ron and pet his hair, "They can talk, but that doesn't mean one has to tolerate it," he said softly as he leaned down to press a kiss to his lover's lips. "Ti amo."

"That's why I don't feel bad for taking their money." He snickered, "I entered the bet through a letter. They don't know it was me."

"Excellent," Will smiled, "Then it will be a great surprise to them."

"That's what I thought." The blond grinned, closing his eyes after checking his watch to see how much longer they had of their lunch break, glad to be able to enjoy the warm sun longer before heading back inside for more paperwork.

Will followed suit and leaned back against the bench to enjoy the pleasant day. He was half tempted to skip out of work, but he knew he'd only regret it...Ronald probably more so considering he was just getting back into the swing of things and re-establishing his routine was going to take some time. Rather, he kept pulling his fingers through his lover's hair and enjoying the peaceful moment.

"I know that it'll be quite a while before I'll be able to take a day off work again due to having such a long medical leave…" Ronald muttered after a while, "But I think it'd be nice if we could both possibly manage to have a full day off together."

"I can try to arrange that if you like," William offered. "Would you want to go somewhere or simply laze about like this?" Will smirked as he gently pet the side of Ron's face.

"Maybe both? Laze around someplace far away from work for a day. Would definitely be nice." The younger reaper smiled, opening his eyes and reaching up to push a small lock of dark hair back into place.

"I think that sounds like a fine plan. Though, perhaps not too far away. I know of a perfect little apple orchard just an hour or two away that gets plenty of sunshine where we can laze as much as we care to," Will grinned.

"Sounds like a lovely plan. Especially if it's in the Fall when the apples are in season." The blond trailed his fingertips down William's cheek and over his lips.

Will took Ron's wrist and pressed a kiss to his palm.

"I thought you weren't a fan of this mushy stuff, Ron," he smirked.

"I thought you weren't the dating type. Ronald smirked, "Things change….or I just went crazy being locked up in a windowless apartment with Grell for so long."

"I hope being cooped up with Grell _isn't_ what makes you want to spend time with me, though I can understand if that is the case," Will chuckled softly.

"Of course not. Merely made me appreciate being with you all the more." Ronald smiled.

"I suppose that's something," Will snorted and checked his watch. "It seems our lunch will be over soon. Shall we head back?"

"…Do we have to?" Ronald whined, though his lips twitched up into a smirk as he pushed himself up off his lover's lap.

"Unless you wish people to talk more and have both our pay checks docked, then yes," Will said as he stood up and offered a hand to Ron.

"…Fiiiine." he stood and held out his hand to help William up, smirking and kissing his knuckles before letting his hand go.

Will merely shook his head at Ron's false whining and started walking back towards the Dispatch.

When William returned to work, he took a few hours and got himself caught up on paperwork whilst he planned his date with Ron that night. It was then that he noticed he was out of coffee and decided to take a small break to refill his mug. While in the break room brewing a fresh pot of coffee, Randy McConnel happened to stop in for the very same reason. Will gave him a polite nod and went about fixing his cup of coffee, then turned to the other reaper.

"Mr. McConnel," he said, placing his mug on the counter. "I believe I owe you something."

Before the other man could respond, Will turned quickly and landed a solid punch right to the other reaper's jaw.

"If you take affront to another's personal business, then have the decency to bring it to them personally, otherwise keep your bloody mouth shut and leave work out of it," William said coldly.

Randy rubbed his jaw, "…sorry sir, but what the Hell?" he asked, not knowing why the cold, usually emotionless reaper had suddenly punched him.

"Does 'office whore' ring a bell? Or perhaps 'the boss' glory hole'?" Will asked with a raised eyebrow as he cracked his knuckles.

His eyes widened, "…how…who told you?"

Will raised an unamused eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter how I know, just don't do it again. I am not saying it as your boss, either. This is a personal warning."

"Personal? You? Sir, with all due respect; you are all business. I'd bet you still make your little boy-toy call you 'sir' in bed."

"If that sort of thing turns you on, you're welcome to imagine it," Will said with a quirked eyebrow as he invaded the other's personal space. "Otherwise, if you have a problem with Ron's personal life, you therefore have a problem with me."

"I'm sorry sir. But it is obvious why he's with you. He wants to get out of overtime and he's doing so by sleeping with you. The man is straight, and a player." He said, risking another blow, "It's disgusting."

"Oh yes, it is quite obvious considering he's been in and out of the infirmary for the last four months, recovering from nearly dying and recurring injuries, with no chance of returning to work until very recently," William snapped. "Your insult to his work ethic is an insult to my integrity as a supervisor, which I have given _no_ reason for you to doubt."

"Well why else would a lady's man like him have reason to let you shag him?" the reaper asked boldly. "Hell, if it'd get me out of overtime I'd shag you."

"Frankly, it isn't any of your business to wonder such things," William said crisply, surprised by the man's audacity. "And to be brutally honest, I'd rather shag a demon than a self-absorbed jackass like yourself. But I'm sure you get told that all the time, you being such a bloody charmer."

"Whoa, I didn't mean anything by it, boss. I aint interested in ya. I'm strictly for the ladies. But that's my point. Knox was the same way 'till you suddenly yanked him out of the game. Honestly I should thank you. One less guy to compete with."

"William," he corrected. "I am not speaking to you as your boss. And Ron's personal preferences are no one's business but his," William said crisply. "If you really wish to impress the ladies, then might I suggest being less of crude prick? There's nothing less attractive than a man who lacks confidence and takes his insecurities out on others. A prime example being calling an associate names behind his back."

* * *

To be continued...


	19. Chapter 19

Ronald gave a bored sigh, resting his chin on the edge of his desk as he filled out another stack of paperwork. Even though he had been aloud to return to work; Doctor Knapp had said that he was not to have too much field work; and when he did, he had to have a partner. On top of that he had to use his old training scythe as it was lighter than his lawnmower. It all added up to a day of paperwork, so his load was heavier than usual. So bored from the repetitive signing of his name and filling in dates, he lost track of time, not daring to look at his watch in fear of making time seem to pass slower.

Yawning, the blond reaper signed the last sheet of his papers and stood up, stretching and cracking is sore neck before gathering the large stack of paperwork and carrying it out to turn in so it could be looked over and filed away correctly.

After the little run in with McConnel, Will grabbed his coffee and headed back to his office. He knew it wouldn't kill the gossip, but he had to admit it had felt good to sock the bastard and it would be highly satisfying to watch him hand over his money to Ron later.

Ronald rounded the corner with his stack of papers, nearly running over William, "Ah! Sorry!" he said, spinning quickly to avoid the collision and causing a few pages to flutter to the floor.

Will jumped and nearly spilled his coffee, moving out of the way.

"Apologies, Ron, are you alright?" he asked as he bent down to pick up the fallen pages.

"I'm fine. Somehow finished all this…so I'm turning it in now so it's not cluttering my desk anymore. Especially if another secretary walks into my office with more for me to do." He explained, resting his chin on top of the stack, "Is the shift almost over?"

"I believe so," Will said with a nod. "I believe there is only an hour or so left."

Will took half the stack from Ron so he wouldn't be holding it so awkwardly.

"Have you gone to collect your winnings yet?"

"Nope. Didn't want overtime if we are going out tonight." Ronald grinned, "But if I can get them before our date, I'll pay."

"I will help you to drop off these reports and then I'll gladly come with you if you so wish," Will said with a smirk.

"You seem way too eager for this." Ronald chuckled, continuing on his way to turn the papers into the right department.

"I enjoy seeing others get their comeuppance," William grinned.

"I'd enjoy seeing you deck 'em." Ronald muttered as the passive thought ran through his brain and he used his hip to push open the door to the records department and set the stack of papers down on the desk.

"McConnel already got his for the day, but I still owe the other two," Will said as he flexed his fingers.

"What? No way! You hit him? When?" Ronald asked, spinning around as be bombarded his lover with questions.

Will couldn't help but chuckle a little, "Only about a 15 minutes ago when I ran into him in the break room."

"I miss everything! Can you do it again?" he grinned slyly.

"I suppose I could," William mused. "I'm not sure if the message got across last time, so a reminder might be necessary." He stated as they set down the papers in the in box and turned to leave once more.

Ronald chuckled, "Have I told you how much I love you?"

"You have professed your affection, but you have never said just how much," William smiled teasingly and paused to pull Ron aside into a broom closet. "Nor do you have to because you always show me just how much," Will laughed softly and leaned down to kiss his lover gently.

"Broom closet? Really?" Ronald teased, sliding his arms around his lover and pulling him in to deepen the kiss.

William returned the kiss enthusiastically, but pulled away before he got too distracted.

"Well, snogging right in the middle of the hall would just be asking for trouble," William chuckled softly. "Now come on, let's go get your money."

"Oh and hiding with the mops and brooms with your lover _isn't_ asking for trouble?" the blond teased, "I'm pretty sure this is actually asking for more than a simple little public kiss in the corridors."

"No one saw us duck in here," Will laughed softly as he cracked open the door to peek out, then closed it again when he saw someone rounding the corner. "Or are you saying you _want_ more than just a kiss?" Will blindly reached out and gripped his lover's hip to draw him in close, "Closet tryst and overtime, or we get out of here on time and have a fancy date? Which do you want?" Will chuckled.

"I was pointing out, not suggesting…but now you are making me choose? How is that fair?" he pouted against his lover's lips.

"It is plenty fair," Will said, nibbling Ron's lips. "But perhaps we should save the closet for when we actually _do_ have overtime...to save you from boredom, of course."

"I'm all up for a break from boredom. Coulda used one earlier. Almost fell asleep. I can't wait till I get the okay from the doctor to be able to take on the normal load of field work."

Will cracked open the door again and when he saw the coast was clear, he pulled Ron out with him. "Come on, let's finish up here for the day so that we can get on with our date."

"Yes, sir!" Ronald teased, saluting him and reaching out to pinch his rear before nearly dancing off ahead of him down the empty hall.

Will couldn't stop himself from jumping slightly at the pinch and he gave Ron a playful warning glance as he hurried after him down the hall.

Ronald rounded the corner and popped into an unused office where reapers were known to go for betting pools and other activities not permitted during working hours, having no surprise to find the three reapers there. "So how's the betting going? Hear word yet on how I am required to refer to Spears as while working?"

"Knox!" the three men jumped, "How did you…?"

"You three need to keep things a little more quiet. I overheard you."

Will came around the corner shortly after, chuckling softly at the surprised exclamations of the other three reapers. He did not reveal himself yet, wondering what they might say not knowing the boss was present.

"Well then, what does he make you call him at work?" asked David.

Ronald shrugged, "Doesn't make me call him anything. He told me earlier today that I can call him whatever I feel more comfortable with while at work." He smirked, noting how quiet Randy was being when he was usually the loud-mouth of the bunch.

"I see…so much for our bets." David sighed, shifting through some papers.

"Hey, didn't some random guy bet it didn't matter to the boss?" Steven asked, leaning over and grabbing the papers from his friend.

"Yeah, that'd be me." Ronald said, holding up his proof so he could collect.

"You can't bet on something you are the subject of! It's cheating!"

"Who says I can't? I didn't know for sure when I placed my bet. I hadn't even thought about it before you three. Pay up."

"No way, you little twit."

"Don't you mean 'glory-hole,' David? I heard that part of the conversation too. Didn't much like it."

"Nor did I," William said as he finally made himself known by stepping into the room. "Gentlemen, I believe you owe Mr. Knox here some money. I suggest you be good sports about it," he said as he closed the door and leaned against it.

"This is cheating on so many levels!" Steven scowled, grabbing his wallet and digging out the owed cash.

"Maybe next time you wont make bets on people's personal lives." Ronald smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, what-ever." Randy said, tossing his money onto the empty desk he was sitting at.

David slapped his money into the blond's hand and leaned in, "Might want to watch your back, Knox." He hissed so that William couldn't hear.

Ronald raised an eyebrow, "Noted."

"Musim, Johnson, a word, please?" William said politely as he beckoned the two reapers closer. Once they were within range, William grabbed Musim by the tie to drag him closer and landed a solid punch to his jaw. Johnson landed a hit of his own to Will's gut, but Will countered by stomping the man's foot and giving him an uppercut and laying him out on the floor.

Will huffed and straightened his jacket looking at the other three reapers.

"Gentlemen, if I hear negative gossip or insults directed towards my boyfriend, I will place blame on you whether or not you are the source. I suggest you stem the tide of talk."

Ronald pocketed his winnings and stepped over the fallen reaper, "Sorry, mate, Kinda don't feel sorry for ya." He said before turning to his lover, "You okay, Will?"

Will adjusted his fingers and rolled his wrist.

"I'm quite fine, thank you. Shall we?" Will said with a small grin as he offered his arm to Ron.

Ronald smirked and took his lover's arm, walking out of the office with him. "We good to leave work or do you have a few more papers to finish?"

"We may leave at any time. I am finished for the day," he said with a smile.

"Then let's go. You already saw I had my work done."

"Well, for what I have planned, we shall need to go home and change first," William said with a soft smile as he walked with Ron out of the dispatch building and towards mortal London. "We need something a little dressier than our everyday suits."

"Does that mean I can't wear my tie around my head?" Ronald teased, raising an eyebrow.

"If you get drunk enough, I suppose, but that is not the goal tonight," Will laughed softly as he steered them towards home.

"How much 'dressier' are we talking here?" Ronald asked, lacing his fingers behind his head as they walked down the street, his eyes focused on William's face.

Will laughed softly under his breath, "Not tuxedos, if you're wondering. But at the very least bowties, less worn suits, and freshly polished shoes," he said as he led them up to the apartment door and opening it. "Perhaps we could even tame your hair a bit," he said with a playful little tug to the unruly curl in Ron's hair.

"I don't—ah!" the blonde ducked and pulled away from his lover's teasing fingers, "That's unnecessary right now, Will." He pouted, "And I don't own a bow-tie."

"It's always necessary, Ron," Will chuckled softly. "And I own more than one. Now go get changed," he said, giving a playful little pinch to Ron's rear.

"No it isn't." the younger reaper pouted, unlocking the door and stepping into their shared flat, "Quick shower first. Don't want to go out smelling like paperwork." He smirked, already shedding his work clothes on the way to the bathroom.

Will followed after Ron watching him carelessly shed his clothes as he went, very much enjoying the view.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Will asked as he loosened and stripped off his tie.

"If you don't mind my quick shower possibly getting longer." He smirked, winking as he disappeared into the bathroom and turning on the water.

Will snickered and got out of his shirt and shimmied out of his pants as he saw Ron disappear. Once he heard the water running, he wandered into the bathroom, set his glasses on the sink, and joined the blond in the shower, deeply enjoying the sight of his lover covered in the flowing water.

"Well something is going to get longer, that's for certain," Will grinned and leaned in to plant a soft kiss to Ron's lips.

Ronald kissed him back, grabbing the shampoo and squeezing some into his hand, rubbing it into his lover's wet hair and then, with a mischievous chuckle, he spiked the dark soapy locks upwards.

Will blinked and gave Ron an exaggerated look of disapproval.

"I'm sure this is extremely attractive," he said dryly as he reached fr the shampoo himself and used it to style Ron's hair into a mohawk.

"Oh as if that's mature." Ronald grinned, "Personally, I think I could pull off just about any look."

"You're criticizing my maturity when you're the one that started it?" Will said with a quirked eyebrow and a small smirk as he reached out to pull Ron's hair into the closest thing to pigtails he could manage with his short locks.

"Oh, yes, all you need for this are some fancy pink ribbons and you'll be the belle of the ball."

"Pink isn't my color. Try orange. It's much better." Ronald joked.

"You're right, my mistake," Will chuckled softly as he pressed in closer and backed Ron under the shower head to help rinse his hair. "Though, you are rather manly for trying to pull off being a pretty girl, Ronda." Will laughed softly as he ran his hands over Ron's sides and down his hips.

"What are you talking about? _If_ I wanted to, I could make a better girl than that crazy redhead we know at work." He said, his eyes closed to prevent the soap from getting into them.

"Do me a favor and _don't_ do that," Will said with a smirk. "I would still love you, but I very much prefer Ronald to Ronda."

"Good." Ronald said, yanking William under the water to rinse off, "Because I would be perfectly happy never putting on another dress again!"

Will quickly rinsed his hair when he was pulled under the water.

"I would be perfectly happy with you never putting on another dress again, too...or any clothing for that matter," he said with a grin as he backed Ron against the wall. "But people might try to steal you away otherwise, so I suppose I can live with you wearing clothes in public." He laughed softly and dove in to claim Ron's lips in a hungry kiss.

"Mmmm…my aren't you…nn…greedy…not wanting to share me…" the younger reaper teased into the kiss, sliding his arms around him to pull him tighter against his body, "And implying if you…mmnnn…weren't so…greedy you'd…let me ig-nnn-ore dress…code…"

"I know how high in demand Knox is," Will said with a soft groan as he picked up the soap and ran it all over Ron's body. "And it's simply cruel to tease others with what they can't have."

"What? So you only tease me?"

"Sometimes," Will said with a playful nip to Ron's bottom lip as he continued to lather up his lover's skin. "But you should know by now that I can't deny you what you wish."

"I'm starting to get used to being spoiled by you." The blond smirked and took the soap from his lover to run it over William's skin.

"I don't see it as spoiling so much as indulging myself by indulging you. Nothing brings me greater pleasure than making you satisfied," Will smiled softly as he pulled Ron's soapy body against his own to hold him and kiss him once more.

"Spoiled." Ronald chuckled, running the bar of soap down his back and cupping his butt cheeks.

"Opportunist," Will murmured in response as he leaned down to nibble over Ron's collarbone.

The blond moaned, "…Keep doing that and this really isn't going to be a quick shower, Will…" he set the bar of soap aside and slid his hands along William's hips, leaning in to nip on his earlobe.

"Yes it will," William purred softly as he slid his hands over Ron's skin to wash away the soap. "I am simply making you look forward to tonight's finale."

With a devious chuckle, Will quickly rinsed himself off and hopped out of the shower.

"Better not disappoint then…" the blond pouted, turning off the water and stepping out after William, grabbing the towel his lover was already reaching for and smirking as he started to dry himself.

Will quirked an eyebrow at Ron's little theft and merely grabbed another towel to dry his body off. He watched as the blond toweled himself dry and hung his towel up, and using an annoying little trick his sister used to pull all the time, Will shook his still sopping wet hair like a dog and flung water all over Ron before nonchalantly walking out of the bathroom.

"The heck was that for!" Ronald gasped, having to dry himself a second time before following his lover out of the bathroom to the bedroom.

"Just another dazzling display of my lack of maturity," Will said with a smirk as he moved together fresh clothes for both of them and set them out on the bed.

"Well, I'm not cleaning up the mess in the bathroom." He smirked, walking over to the bed and looking down at the clothes William had set out for him and grabbing the shirt to start dressing himself.

"It was so worth it," Will chuckled as he retreated into the bathroom to clean up the small mess, then came back out into the bedroom to dress, setting out cuff links and shining up their shoes quickly.

Ronald picked up the bow-tie set out for him and looked at it, "Will…" he turned and looked at him, "Might need help with this…I never had to wear one before."

Will smiled and guided Ron to stand in front of the vanity mirror as he draped the bow tie around his collar and moved to stand behind him.

"It takes some practice, and I doubt there will be many occasions for it, but, like so," Will said as he brought his hands up over the shorter reaper's shoulders and tied the bow tie for him while Ron watched in the mirror.

"Then I may never get the hang of it…it took me years before I could tie a normal tie correctly." He said, leaning back and turning his head to kiss his lover's cheek.

Will smiled back in the mirror and turned his head to catch Ron's lips.

"Then I will teach you until you get it," he said softly over his lover's lips. "Just not tonight."

"Ah, geeze…cooking, bow-tie lessons…this is starting to feel like I should call you Sensei." He teased, kissing him again before pulling away to put on his shoes.

"Please resist doing that as well," Will scoffed with a light laugh. "I am your significant other, nothing more nothing less."

"Even if it's for fun?" he asked, turning around to face William, suddenly looking up at him innocently, which made him look even younger than he already looked, "But Sensei, I think I need a private lesson with you…there is just so much I don't understand…"

Will blinked down at Ron with a quirked eyebrow. He knew Ron was flirting, but this particular fantasy he was playing out was not Will's cup of tea. He patted the blond's shoulder. "You get an 'A' for effort, Ron, but I'm not into schoolboys," he said with a soft smile. "Now, a naughty junior I could certainly get behind," he said as his smile melted into a devilish smirk and he reached to grab Ron's rear none-too-gently and pulled them tight together.

"I'll remember that for later then." Ronald chuckled, But until then, we should get going before we waste the evening away and we got into bow-ties for nothing."

"I agree," Will said as he released Ron to finished getting dressed. Once he was satisfied with his appearance, he made sure Ron was ready and they headed out. Will had a carriage waiting for them and he escorted Ron to it.

* * *

To be continued...


	20. Chapter 20

Ronald hopped into the carriage and sat down, watching as his lover followed and the driver closed the door behind them before moving to sit up front and take the reins. The blond smiled and slid closer to William, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with him, "So are you going to tell me where we are going?"

"No," Will said with a smirk. "You'll see soon enough. Just enjoy the ride." Will subtly held Ron's hand as they sat through the ride through London, making small talk as they went until the carriage stopped in front of a bustling restaurant and Will stepped out before Ron and turned to speak to him.

"I'm told this place has the finest Italian food in London, as well as a spectacular dance floor," he said as he offered his hand to help Ron down.

"Is that so?" Ronald grinned, looking up at the fancy restaurant, "We'll have to test it out to see if it's worth the gossip. I hope they don't mind two men dancing together here."

Will merely smiled and walked alongside his lover, greeting the maitre d and confirming his reservation. Once inside the lavish restaurant, they were led out to a private balcony. It was spacious, but had a feel of privacy with the small potted plants and vines that grew over the archway and railing surrounding it. It held a simple small table for two, candlelit of course, and a lovely view of the river as well as the night sky. Music from the string quartet within the restaurant proper filtered out into the night air, surrounding the pair as they were seated. Will took the menu as it was handed to him with a polite nod, then turned to Ron once they were alone again.

"Did I mention they also value discretion?" he said with a smirk.

"Very nice." He smiled, glancing over the menu, "Even if I have to wear a bow-tie." The blonde teased, running the toe of his shoe along his lover's leg under the table.

"You look very handsome, Mr. Knox. I'm sure the ladies find their hearts all aflutter at the sight of you," Will said with a soft smile, "Now, what might you recommend? I am afraid I don't understand most of what's on the menu," he said with a laugh as he read over all of the Italian dishes.

"Too bad I have no interest in attracting the ladies anymore. I much rather attract your attention, Mister Spears." He said, guiding William's menu down to point out the different dishes and explaining each of them.

"You do a fine job of that without even trying," William said, returning the little game of footsie. He looked over the options as Ron explained them and he had to admit he still quite liked hearing the language roll off his lover's tongue. Of course, he ordered a bottle of wine for them to enjoy and after they ordered their dinner, Will could hardly contain himself any longer and stood to offer his hand to Ron.

"Sir, may I have this dance?" he asked as a soft waltz started and drifted outside.

"Oh~ I suppose I could oblige, sir." Ronald almost giggled, taking his lover's hand and standing up, walking with him far enough away from the table to start their dance.

Will happily pulled the young reaper against him and into the dance. It had been far too long for them to share a moment like this and he swayed and moved with Ron, holding him tight as he let the music move them gracefully over the balcony.

Finally able to dance with his lover without the hindrance of injury or alcohol, Ronald let himself get swept into the waltz, pressing himself in closer and adding in small flares of fancier steps here and there to spice the dance up a bit.

"It seems you wanted this as badly as I did," Will chuckled softly as he twirled Ron.

"Seeing as I can actually dance now…and the fact that dance is how I started falling in love with you…how could I not want this?" Ronald asked, spinning back in against William, taking the opportunity of their closeness to steal a quick kiss.

Will found himself blushing happily with Ron's casual admission as he returned the kiss sweetly. He never got tired of hearing the blond's feelings for him.

"Now if only you were in a ridiculously tiny skirt..." he murmured playfully against his lover's lips as he took him into a dip.

Hey, I offered to wear that thing for you again. You said no." Ronald teased back, blushing brightly.

"I was speaking only for nostalgia, but if you wish to wear it, I won't be the one to stop you," he grinned and leaned in to give Ron a soft kiss before pulling him back up. Just as the song ended, a waiter rounded the archway, making it clear their dinner was on it's way, "Shall we?" Will asked as he gestured back to the table.

"I'll put it on only if you promise to destroy it as you remove it." Ronald snickered playfully before nodding and walking over to the table and sitting down again.

Will's eyebrows raised in interest. That was certainly something they were going to have to try. Especially if he could get a hold of another pair of those silk—No. Not right now. This was not the time. Will shook his head slightly to clear his mind, though he had the ghost of a lecherous smirk on his lips, and sat down with Ron to enjoy their dinner.

He refilled both their wine glasses and raised his to Ron, "To us," he said simply and clinked their glasses together.

"To happiness." Ronald added before taking a sip of the sweet wine. He smiled and set his glass down before a feeling of dizziness overtook him and he pressed his fingers to his head with a groan, "No…"

Will smiled warmly as he reached into his pocket beneath the table to pat the tiny box within as he thought just how appropriate Ron's toast had been, but when Ron groaned, Will was snapped out of his reverie as he leaned across the table, "Ron? What's wrong?"

Ronald shook his head as the dizziness seemed to pass, "Nothing…might have had a little too much wine…The doctors have said I should watch how much I drink…I guess I'm hitting my limit right now…" he smiled, "When the waiter returns I'll ask for water." He had thought the dizziness was the same he had felt at the hospital when he and Grell passed out before finding themselves in London again, but as it faded, it was doubtful.

Will couldn't deny that it had made his heart race seeing Ron suddenly wince in pain like that. He'd thought his health problems were over with, but perhaps they'd just gotten comfortable.

"That sounds reasonable. I apologize. I should have taken that into consideration," he said with a soft nod. And as if on cue, a waiter suddenly appeared and wordlessly placed a goblet of water in front of Ron before leaving just as quickly.

Ronald blinked, "Well, that was perfect timing…I wonder how they knew?" he chuckled, sipping the water. "And don't worry about it. I assumed I would be able to handle wine better than this as well. I'll be more mindful of Doctor Knapp's warnings from now on."

"We have our own personal attendant, it seems," William said with a slight shrug.  
"And we should take the doctor's orders very seriously or you might be restricted to bed again...Which _could_ be fun again, but I know how stir crazy you get," Will said with a playful smirk. "Come now, let's enjoy our meal."

"I suppose you're right…though I wish I could use my own scythe again soon. It makes the job so much faster." He smiled, picking up his fork and knife to cut into his meal, "Mmm it's been so long since I've had Italian…Let alone proper Italian."

"Hmm, I can't really say the same. I get to enjoy Italian every day," he said giving Ron a flirty grin.

Ronald's face grew bright red, "Technically, you only half get to enjoy Italian every day. There's English mixed in." he said, as he lifted his glass of water to his lips.

"So I suppose I'm a worldly man. Regardless, I enjoy it to the fullest," Will grinned.

"I have no problem with that." Ronald grinned.

Will continued on with the meal making more small talk with his lover until their plates were cleared and they ordered dessert. As they waited, the beginnings of a Tango met Will's ears and he looked to Ron with a bright smile.

"Think you're up for another dance, Ron?"

"Of course." The blonde smiled, standing up and taking his lover's hand to pull him away from the candle-lit table.

They fell into the Tango just as easily as they had the very first time. But it was better. Where there had been a cool distance before with the hint of interest, there was true passion and love guiding their movements. There was no counting off in his head, there was no ensuring posture was entirely accurate, no, there was only Ron in his arms and him conveying through their shared movements how much he loved him. This was why he'd learned to dance. To express himself in ways he never could with words.

All the years of distancing himself from people, the years of not feeling much of anything, and now he had everything he could ever want all because of Ronald. "Ti desidero," he whispered into Ron's ear as they were cheek to cheek at one point. "Ho bisogno di te."

The blond reaper blushed, stretching out in William's arms in stiff but fluid movements, "Mi sono, per sempre."

Will smiled and continued leading his lover in the passionate dance, keeping in mind that neither of them had danced quite like this in some time, but he loved every moment of it. "I love you more than anything, Ron," he whispered into Ron's ear as they danced. The closeness... the risqué touches he indulged in since he no longer needed to hold himself back. He wasn't vulgar about it, but he certainly wasn't shy about touching and holding Ron as he had been so long ago. "You have changed my life and have taught me the true joy of love and the meaning of happiness," he said softly on another pass.

William loved the younger reaper with all his heart and poured his feelings out through the dance with the combination of passion, tenderness, and pure comfort. "You are everything I could ever want," he said softly as he dipped the blond as the song wound down. "Voglio sempre essere con te." Even as the song ended, Will still held him close, leaning down to press their lips together in a passionate, lingering kiss. He savored the taste and feel of Ron, drinking in the moment before he tenderly pulled away with a soft smile and held the other's gaze as he grasped his hand and took to one knee.

"Ronald Oliver Knox," he said as he produced a small velvet box from his pocket. "Mi vuoi sposare?" he asked softly as he pulled open the box to reveal a simple gold band as he looked up to Ron, his heart hammering wildly in his chest.

Ronald stood in stunned silence, looking down at his lover holding the ring out to him His flushed face grew warmer and the world around them seemed to fade away. "S- sì..." he choked out, "William...Yes! There is no one else I would ever imagine being with!" he said, getting over his shock and falling to his knees, hugging the larger man. His mind buzzing loudly.

With Ron's response, Will felt incredibly elated, the butterflies in his stomach dying down to be replaced with an intense euphoria. He hugged Ronald to him tightly, the happiness he felt making his blood feel effervescent as he kissed Ron's cheek and he smiled like a loon. He pulled back from the hug to cradle Ron's face in his hands and kiss him again, unable to stop smiling as he did, "I was truly hoping you would say that," he said softly, removing the ring from the box and lifting Ron's left hand to slip the band onto his ring finger before bringing his hand up to kiss over the ring, "I love you with all of my heart and soul," he said as he pressed more kisses to Ron's fingers and knuckles.

The blonde grinned and tilted William's chin up from his knuckles so that he could capture his lips in a deep kiss, his head continuing to buzz. His smile against William's lips faded as his dizziness returned and he felt himself swaying. He opened his eyes and pulled back from the kiss, his vision growing fuzzy and dark as even William faded away. Unaware of his own body suddenly collapsing.

Will had been about to gather his lover tighter into his arms when he felt him suddenly go limp. He was quick to catch Ron and support him, drawing him in to hold him in his lap.

"Ron?" he asked softly, his heart racing for an entirely different reason as he shook him slightly and patted his cheek. "Come on, speak to me if you can."

Ronald lay limply in his lover's arms for a moment before he started to move stiffly. His eyes dull and lifeless as they looked ahead but saw nothing. Once on his feet, he ignored William and walked to the edge of the terrace, hoping up onto the stone ledge and standing dangerously, his toes hovering over the street below. Then he leapt, landing on the roof of the smaller building across the way and taking off in a blind run over the streets of London.

Will tried to keep a hold on Ron, his glazed over eyes causing a bit of fright to wash over him, but the blond was too stubborn.

"Ron?" he asked, resisting the urge to grab him and shake him, though a horrible sinking feeling had taken up residence in his stomach. Please don't let this be- But Ron leapt up onto the ledge and before Will could reach out and grab him, he was gone, jumping away and running quickly over the rooftops. Without a thought to anything else, William took a running start to launch himself after Ron. He'd lost track of his lover twice to whatever this was and he was not going to lose him again!

Ronald leapt down onto a shorter building surrounded in shadow and disappeared into the dark corner away from the bright moonlight. Runes were written on the walls and flat of the roof in a think red liquid; blood. The young reaper stood like a stature in the center of a blood possession sigil next to a dark figure who wrapped their arms around him, lifting his hand and studying the golden band on his finger.

Will had a hard time keeping up with Ron. He was moving so quickly and so deftly that he would disappear from sight momentarily, then crop back up just when Will thought he'd lost him. He did as best he could until he dropped from sight far ahead and didn't pop back up again. He headed in that direction until he came to where he swore he'd last seen the blond and dropped down onto the low roof.

"Ron?" he called out, eyes scanning everywhere. When he saw red scrawls everywhere, he jumped back, but they were everywhere. He had no clue what they could possibly be, but he certainly didn't want to be in the middle of it and he summoned his scythe for defense.

"Nice of you to finally join us," A familiar female voice teased, "Reaper Spears. You death gods can be so annoying to track down. Good thing I'm so lucky. You really have fallen hard for this little reaper, haven't you? When did this ring get here? It wasn't here last time I saw your little boyfriend."

At the sound of a voice, William moved forward to peer into the shadows...he knew that voice...

"Amelia?" he asked, not understanding what was going on. In the darkness, he saw Ron standing stock still and the woman from the bar, Amelia, standing next to him. "What is this about? What have you done to Ron?" he asked, incredibly confused.

"Quite the accident, I assure you." She said, "But a pleasant surprise for me. Imagine. Here I am making Hostile souls to get my revenge and I discover that I can make them even more a danger to Shinigami kind by using blood possession and who should somehow become infected with my blood, but two reapers. Two scythes as my disposal! And Oh~ Imagine the look I had when I first brought them to me and I find one of the reapers are none other than _your_ lover." Amelia cackled, "Couldn't be more perfect! I must say he is my favorite little toy to play with~ I haven't even needed to make any more Hostile souls since I got him."

Everything she was saying wasn't making sense. So Ronald was blood possessed? But that had been ruled out...And by her? And she was the one behind the Hostile Souls? For revenge?

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his demeanor getting colder as he put himself on the defensive. "What has Ronald ever done to you to warrant this cruelty? You seek revenge on whom? For what, exactly?"

"Oh, handsome, Ronald has done nothing. He was simply in the right place at the wrong time. Same as that redheaded one. I really only want one reaper dead." She lifted a hand and pointed at William, "You."

"For what, Amelia? You and I have only met twice," he said as he coldly narrowed his eyes.

She was obviously more than she seemed if she knew what he and Ron were, let alone all of the business with the Hostile Souls and now her controlling Ron and Grell...but all of it to kill William? Why?

"How cold. You take my love and forget all about me. She didn't deserve to die! And you took her soul anyway!" the woman hissed, her eyes glowing demonically, yet white feathered wings grew from her back, "So now it's your turn!"

She sliced open her wrist and Ronald's dead eyes began to glow red, the bond between him and the woman strengthening. He slumped his shoulders, stretching his arm out to the side as he summoned his scythe before he rushed at William like a puppet with invisible strings.

What the hell was she?! And William had taken someone she loved? A human? A demon, an angel? Will had killed plenty of demons and angels in the field, but absolutely no humans...what was she going on about? He didn't have time to ask before Ron was suddenly coming at him. He dodged as he scrambled to try and remember what had been said about blood possession...that the controller would be weak because it took so much blood to keep the bond? And if it was broken it was safe to assume that Ron would be freed. He had to go after Amelia.

Will kept his eye on Ron as he continually dodged the scythe as he swung it about. He had to finish this quickly before Ron hurt himself. He circled around to draw Ron away from Amelia, and once he felt he might have enough space and could get the right burst of speed, he turned his back on the blond and made a dead run towards the woman, aiming his scythe right for her.

"Do you think I'd lead you here without having protection?" Amelia laughed, snapping her fingers and on cue, there was a flash of red as Grell, supporting the same dead eyes as Ronald leapt in front of William, acting as a shield, chainsaw roaring to life and deflecting William's extending scythe to the side.

Grell appearing made Will leap back and almost run into Ron's attacking lawnmower. This was horrible circumstance as he was now outnumbered, but it could also be a bit of a boon because now Amelia had to provide blood for two instead of just one. Perhaps she would grow weaker faster...but Will had to figure out how to get to her before she made Grell and Ron turn on each other. He could not retreat, either, as the other two would just give chase, or worse yet, she'd take them and disappear and he could not risk losing them forever.

"Amelia," he yelled as he parried a few more attacks from Ron. "What is it you want? If I'm the one who wronged you, leave them out of it!"

The woman tilted her head, "Why? Seeing your lover kill you is too entertaining…unless of course you kill him first~ That'll be even better before I have this other reaper kill you for me. Either way I get to see you die."

"I'd never kill Ron," William spat as he continued to dodge the lawnmower, but he knew he was getting tired. What could he possibly do? There seemed to be no reasoning with the crazy woman and he honestly _would_ rather die than take Ron out...but he also knew, injuring him wouldn't stop him either. Broken bones didn't stop his previous jaunts and he had a feeling that they weren't about to now. Will looked around for anything that might help and he saw the sigils...Could he possibly destroy them? Will feigned a fall to the ground atop what appeared to be a primary circle, making himself seem vulnerable to the attacking blond and watched as the lawnmower started to come down and at the last second, he rolled away, getting his shoulder clipped in the process, but the scythe slammed into the rooftop, grinding away at the wood beneath.

"No! What are you?!" as the sigil was destroyed, it lost it's power and Amelia's power wavered and then dispersed, a strong wave of pure power exploding from the center of where the main sigil had been, knocking everyone back a few feet.

Will was sent rolling across the rooftop, his scythe being knocked out of his hand as he was slammed hard into a chimney stack that left him seeing stars for a moment. Grell dropped his chainsaw as he fell off the roof and to the streets below Ronald flew back, hitting a wall of a higher building. Amelia, panting and obviously weakened greatly from her spell being ripped out of working order, panted and scrambled across to Ronald, her nails lengthening to sharp claws before she grabbed the unconscious reaper and held them to his throat, desperately trying to stay in control of the situation to achieve her revenge.

"She was mine! And you took her from me! You reapers don't stop to think that someone should be allowed to continue to live!" she hissed.

"What the bloody hell do you mean?!" William yelled, staggering to his feet and sneering at the woman.

"Maria!" The woman screamed hysterically, "Fifty-seven years ago you reaped the soul of my darling Maria Watson! She still had time left! She was only sixteen! She was the one to look past my contradiction of an existence and you stole her away! It took me this long to track you down, and I will not lose now! You took my love, I'll take yours!" She sneered, slicing her nails into Ronald's throat.

Her words struck him hard. He honestly did not remember the specifics of this girl she was raving about, but how could he? He'd reaped countless of souls over the years. It wasn't personal...but she was obviously distraught, and Will understood why. He'd be just as badly torn up over someone taking Ron from him.

"Stop! Please!" he said, walking towards her and Ron, kneeling down to pick up his scythe, minimizing it and putting it in his jacket to show he meant no harm. "Reapers are not the ones that take lives, we simply ensure souls are judged and move on to where they are destined to go. I'm sorry, but your Maria was not meant to continue on in the mortal realm. She was needed elsewhere. It was simply my job to make sure she was delivered safely, to protect her from scavenging demons or self righteous angels who would seek to destroy what she was... Don't punish Ron for me doing my duty."

"' _Don't punish Ron._ '" she mocked, "Duty or not you coldly took her from me! That look on your face! You didn't care! She was more than a human soul! And you took her before I could get to her! I could have saved her! But now… Now things are different! Things are the other way around, isn't it? Now's my chance to be the cold one! My chance to take him from you when you know you could save him. I may even take his soul. It'd be too easy. Just like kissing him."

"This is entirely different and you know it. You are being cruel, I was doing my job! If I was able to free her, then you could not have saved her. It wasn't I who killed her. Do you know what she would have become if she hadn't been judged after death? She would not have been the Maria you knew at all! Would you have her be a lifeless corrupted shadow of what she once was suffering through existence instead of allowing her peace? I did not condemn her to either Heaven or Hell. There is a chance she could be reborn into the mortal realm," he said as he moved towards the pair. "I am very sorry you lost your beloved, but don't take mine from me. Please. "

"Heaven; Hell. I have searched them both. A shadow…a ghost would be better than nothing, wouldn't you agree? I never consumed a soul before…but what if I started now? Shall I start with your Ronald? You having no choice in what happens to him?" she lowered her lips to Ronald's coaxing his soul to the surface and letting the glowing blue orb linger barely attached to his body, "Knowing you I bet you'd rather reap his soul." She muttered.

Will gasped as he watched Amelia coax out Ron's soul.

"No!" he exclaimed and moved forward faster. What was he to do? What could he do? If he interrupted her, he risked losing Ron's soul. If he left her, she would consume it. But...but he couldn't reap him...he just couldn't. He knew Ron would rather be reaped than consumed, as would Will, but...

"Take me instead," he pleaded.

"But this would hurt you more~" she teased.

William glared at her, "Is this what Maria loved?" he looked at her critically. "Did she love that you would be so evil and cruel and give in to your demonic instincts? You hiss and growl at me about taking her away from you, but seeing what you've become, she's better off not having witnessed this."

"Had she been allowed to live this wouldn't be happening at all!" she snapped, "Not one step closer, Spears!"

* * *

To be continued...


	21. Chapter 21

Undertaker had popped into the shower after a rather rigorous bout of play that had left Grell unconscious, but when he came out to enjoy some post coital cuddling he found that the redhead had disappeared. His heart leapt into his throat as he immediately thought that the reaper was having another episode. He dashed out of the shop at a dead run and took to the rooftops to look for the wayward reaper. He looked for any sign of disturbance and eventually he came to an intersection where a small group of people huddled around a body in the mouth of an alleyway. Thinking it could be a potential victim of Grell's, Undertaker dropped himself down to the street a block away and ran up to the small group, pushing his way forward. He was incredibly surprised to see that it was Grell himself and he immediately took to his knees to scoop the reaper into his arms. He seemed relatively unhurt, thankfully, but just as he was about to take off back to the shop, he heard voices coming from the rooftop overhead...William. He'd heard William.

He moved into an alleyway before leaping up to the rooftop with Grell still unconscious in his arms. He was greeted by the odd scene of Ron in a woman's arms, his soul bared and vulnerable, while William stood not too far away, practically shaking with anger, but obviously powerless to do anything. A cursory glance showed the remnants of sigils still on the rooftop, but they'd been ruined and were inactive...his memory told him these were blood sigils and everything came together in his mind. This woman was the reason for Grell's suffering. He didn't know why, and it didn't matter. She had still enslaved him and used him, hurt him, and she was hurting Ron and William, too.

He quickly set the redhead down and without even a glance or warning, he summoned his great scythe and launched himself at the woman with a look of pure malice and hatred.

Will almost pleaded again when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and Amelia looked away for a split second. Will simultaneously reached into his jacket for his back-up scythe as he lunged forward and extended it, aiming for her throat and hoping by Rhea he would be able to pull Ron away from her. It was risking so much, but there no options left.

"Wha—" Amelia had turned to look at the on-coming attack, only to feel sharp blades at her throat, cutting off her inquiry as she dropped Ronald to leap back to escape William's scythe.

Will immediately dropped his scythe, scooped Ron into his arms, and rolled away from Amelia. Undertaker, however, kept after her.

"Why did you go and enslave my darling Grell, hmm?" he chuckled a little madly as he swung his scythe at her, not slicing into her quite yet. "Milady is deserving of much better treatment and while you should be made to suffer for what you've done, I'd rather get back to my darling as soon as possible." With a growl he raised his scythe once more to bring it down for a killing blow.

Without the half-demon keeping Ronald's soul exposed, His soul slowly returned to it's proper place in his body, his entire form glowing slightly for a few seconds.

A few feet away, Grell groaned and sat up, cradling his head, "…Unnie…I think we got too…" he blinked realizing he wasn't laying in a coffin. "It happened again?!" he looked down at himself, seeing he was in a loose-fitting thin silk night gown and he hugged himself, "Ah! Unnie!"

Will clutched Ronald to himself for a relieving moment, then gently lay his lover down and stormed over to where the mortician was happily hacking away at Amelia.

He stood back a short distance and let the elder have his fun before he stepped forward himself and released her records with a vicious slash.

"As much as I hate you for all that you have done, I hope you find her," he said coldly before walking away to scoop Ronald back up again.

"What was that all about, dear William?" Undertaker asked curiously, not at all bothered by the amount of gore covering him.

"I reaped her human love many years ago and she sought revenge. She was the one behind the Hostile Souls and she used blood possession on both Ron and Grell... I tried reasoning with her, telling her there was no malice in my reaping the soul and that her beloved was safe...but she would not listen," he said, shaking his head.

"Love rarely listens to reason," Undertaker grinned as he approached Grell, removing his tunic and leaving him topless, but he put the garment over the redhead's shoulders anyway. "Are you alright, my dear?"

"Of coarse I'm not! I black out while we were having such a good time in that lovely coffin of yours and I wake up out here barely dressed! Who knows who got an eyeful of my person! Oh! But you look so delicious covered in blood and half naked, darling~ and—" the redhead pushed himself to his feet, rushing over to William and grabbing Ronald's hand "This was not here at work!"

Will kept a tight grip on Ron when the redhead ran over and practically yanked on his hand.

"That's because it wasn't there until a little while ago," William said, still looking at Ron with concern and wondering if the temporary removal of his soul was going to have nasty side effects. "I proposed to him at dinner...then this happened."

"You proposed? You mean Ronnie gets to be a blushing bride before me? I didn't think you were the type to get tied down to—"

"Who…said anything about being a bride….senpai?" Ronald asked in a raspy voice, still lying limply in Will's arms.

Will was about to educate Grell on just how wrong he was in assuming that, but when he heard words tumble from Ron's lips, he leaned in and kissed his lover gratefully.

"Hmph!" Grell turned and stumbled over to his lover, "Unnie…can we go home?"

Undertaker gathered Grell into his arms and hugged him tightly. "As you wish, my dear," he said softly as he pressed a kiss to the redhead's temple and scooped him up into his arms to carry him bridal style. "You are going to be a beautiful bride, darling. This just suits you too well," he chuckled and leapt off the roof to head home.

Ronald weakly kissed back and then looked up at William, "…it happened again…didn't it?" he groaned, "What happened? It feels worse than the other times…"

Wiliam sighed and pressed his forehead to Ron's. He was greatly relieved but dearly wanted to get out of the area in case they had attracted some unwanted attention. He, too, started heading home, moving slow enough so as to not jostle his lover too much.

"A lot happened actually," he explained as they moved. "Do you remember Amelia from the pub? Our meeting her was no coincidence. She was the one doing this to you and Grell...because of me," he sighed and moved on to explain before Ron could ask why. "Apparently I reaped a human she loved and she sought revenge. She said she was the one behind the Hostile Souls as well as blood possession of you...and she nearly consumed your soul."

"Wait…she what my soul?" Ronald asked, paling as he realized just how close to death he had been…again. Only this time there would be no afterlife. Not if he was consumed, "She…she is a demon? How close is 'nearly?' is that why I'm having troubles moving again, or did I get beat up?"

"I cannot say for sure, but I think she was half demon, half angel...as unlikely as that is, I can't deny what I saw. And, yes, she had pulled your soul from you and had Undertaker not shown up when he had, I don't know what I would have done...She had me powerless to do anything. But, you'll recover, I think. I did my best not to attack you when she was controlling you, but you might be sore from being thrown into a wall from the backblast of her sigils being destroyed."

"That's it. We are never talking to random women in a pub ever again…" Ronald joked to lighten the mood, "Can we just go home? I really don't want to go back to the hospital again…"

Will thought about that for a moment, but didn't pause in moving.

"I suppose for tonight it should be fine, but you should at least visit tomorrow and get looked over," he said with a soft nod.

"If I have too." He sighed, "I was looking forward to after dinner too…"

They'd finally reached the apartment building and Will dropped to the street to carry Ron to the door.

"You should see Dr. Knapp tomorrow, but tonight, we can enjoy the rest of the evening ourselves," he said leaning in to capture his lover's lips again. "We shall just have to do this date over again," he laughed softly.

"Or I can just misbehave at work…" he said with an impish grin.

"Are you really thinking this way after having such a traumatic experience?" Will laughed softly as he opened the door and carried Ron inside.

"Hey I remember you popping the question and then nothing. That's hardly tramatic." Ronald grinned.

"You don't remember saying yes?" Will teased as he carried Ron straight into the bedroom.

"Did I? Oh why would I do that?" Ronald teased back, "That might be your favorite part, but for me it was the fact you asked…that you love me enough to marry me." he added softly.

Will put Ron on the bed and lay down alongside him to cup his cheek and press against the length of his body.

"I love you beyond simply wanting to marry you," Will said as he moved to kiss over Ron's face. "I want to share everything with you, to make you happy, to spend every moment thinking of more ways to love you...Sei il grande amore della mia vita..."

"That's my point… Marriage for us, I think, means more than it does for humans… Marriage is till death…we are immortal…and Death can't just take us from illness or old age…ours can last an eternity…so when you asked me to marry you, to me that was you asking to love and be loved till the end of time." Ronald muttered, snuggling against his fiancé.

Will leaned in and kissed Ron softly, "That is exactly what I want," he whispered over his lips.

"Good. 'cuz there is no backing out of it now…Not taking this ring off." The blond grinned against his lips. Wishing his soul would settle back comfortably in his body so he could move properly again.

"I couldn't if I tried," Will said as he nuzzled Ron's face. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I need my body to listen to me more so we can celebrate our engagement properly."

"Oh? And how is it not listening to you?" he asked in a slightly mischievous tone as he stroked fingers up Ron's inner thigh.

Ronald shivered, "Lets just say if I had it my way I would be all over you…" he blushed.

"There's no reason you can't be," Will said with a grin as he grabbed Ron around the waist and pulled him to lay on top of him, pulling his thighs to make the blond straddle his waist, and grabbed the back of his head to pull him into a passionate kiss.

"Well this is one way to force my soul back into place…" He muttered against his lover's lips, deepening it and tugging with difficulty at William's bowtie.

Will groaned softly into Ron's mouth, running hands over his back and sides. He gripped the other's thighs to pull him down tight against his hips to grind up against him, his dawning arousal pressing against his lover. He didn't assist with the bowtie, hoping the challenge would help stimulate his body and help him gain more control the more he concentrated.

It took him a bit but finally Ronald managed to remove William's tie, vest and shirt, having to break the kiss a few times to watch his fingers to make sure they moved correctly in undoing the buttons.

"See? When properly motivated, you can do anything," the older reaper chuckled softly between kisses and disrobed Ron in turn. He nuzzled the blond's neck, nipping and kissing alternately as he ran fingers through bi-colored locks affectionately.

"You just get off by watching me struggle." Ronald teased.

"Maybe I just like knowing I can motivate you in such a way," he grinned. "If I was in the same position as you, I'd be just as motivated," he said as he nipped Ron's ear and slipped his hands into his pants to grip his rear hard and grind again.

The blond gasped and captured William's lips in a rough, passionate kiss, his hands, now seemingly easier to control, slid along William's side, pausing to press against the sweet spot under his ribs.

"Mmnnn...Ron..." William groaned and shivered at the sensation and his hands moved to push his lover upright for a moment to push his shirt and vest off his shoulders, taking the opportunity to also push his pants down a bit more to get access to his shaft, palming it hungrily as he rolled his hips in unison with a soft growl.

"Ah…Will…I…" he swallowed and let out a low lustful groan, "I don't care what all happened tonight after dinner…" his body shook with a shiver as William ground up against him again and he opened his eyes, "I want you to take me…" he muttered through his moans.

Ron's request...no, demand, made Will growl with lust.

"You know exactly what to say to get what you want," he said, licking his lips before grabbing Ron again and rolling them so Will was laying atop him and dragging the rest of his clothes off his lover and himself. He settled himself between Ron's thighs to grind their exposed members together with a purr as he leaned down to kiss over Ron's jaw eagerly and he brought a hand up to teasingly tug on the sensitive little curl of hair.

"Nngh!" Ronald wrapped his legs around William, his body, with the push of lust, seemed to be snapping back in control quickly. He rolled his hips, "Will…"

He smiled against Ron's skin as he reached between them to grip their erections together and pump them in time, causing him to hiss in pleasure as he abandoned the curl to search beneath the pillows for the bottle of oil he kept there. He fished it out and sat back on his heels for a moment to pour a small amount of oil into his hands, making their grinding pleasantly slick. His other hand slid beneath Ron to press along his cleft and rub against his entrance, making him growl with lust yet again as he slowly pressed a finger into his lover.

Ronald's intake of breath hitched into a squeak, causing him to blush. To cover the noise, he reached up, hooking his hand along the back of his lover's neck and pulled him down into a kiss as he continued to roll his hips against William's.

Will's rhythm was slightly interrupted by Ron's movement, but it also aroused him further. He gently stretched his lover as he continued pumping their shafts together, groaning into Ron's mouth. It was getting more difficult to hold himself back and he soon found himself removing his fingers and pressing himself into his lover with a long moan and a hiss.

"Mmmmnnnn...If I have an eternity of this to look forward to, I can't imagine anything sweeter," William sighed as he slid home and held himself there for a moment. "I love you...so much." He pressed a sweet kiss to the blond's lips before wrapping arms around him yet again and rolling them to place Ron atop him once more, "And now you're all over me again," he said, smiling up at him.

"Get used to it…" Ronald grinned, "You can't escape me anymore…" he moaned, shifting himself up then back down on William's shaft, his head dropping back, "…Nnnh…nope…not letting you go…you're all mine…"

The sight of Ron taking his pleasure as he wanted made Will moan deeply. It was heavenly being inside him, but for his love to take control this way, to be so shameless and eager just made him incredibly beautiful, "Don't ever let me go," Will moaned and rolled his hips to meet Ron's movements. "And I promise to never let you go." His fingers dug into the smaller reaper's hips as he reveled in his own ecstasy.

Ronald moaned, reaching out and grabbing his lover's hand, threading their fingers together and bringing his hand up to kiss his knuckles as he continued to pump himself along William. "Never…" he groaned.

Will thrust upwards hard with a groan and used his free hand to wrap fingers about Ron's twitching member. He was panting already, but it really couldn't be helped with how sexy Ron was. He bit his lip and moaned in pleasure as he started rolling his hips in a harder rhythm to drive himself up into the blond as deep as he could go though he was already trembling and his gut was tightening, the fire was building so quickly and he knew Ron would send him over the edge soon enough. He lost himself in the feel of his lover riding him.

"Ahh…Will…" Ronald gasped, falling into a new rhythm as William began to thrust himself deeper. His cheeks flushed brightly as he leaned forward slightly, his palms pressing against his lover's chest as he held himself up. His erotic panting mixing with the soft sound of skin slapping against skin.

"Hahhnngh! R-Ron!" Will moaned as his thrusts became more erratic, though he tried his hardest to keep concentrating on stroking the other's shaft, but it was becoming too much. It all felt too damn wonderful. His breath hitched as he bit his lip again, his back arched suddenly as his climax took him. He rammed himself as deep as he could possibly go as he filled Ron with his seed with a shuddering, gasping cry.

"W—d-don't sto—Ahhhhnn!" Ronald cried out, his own climax taking hold and his body stiffening as the pressure inside him grew too much quickly and expelled. He stayed up stiffly atop his lover, gasping for breath before he collapsed onto his chest, his breath feathering across the older reaper's neck.

Feeling Ron spill over onto his hand, Will sighed in content and happily caught the panting reaper in his arms when he collapsed forward onto his chest. He buried his nose in blond hair and smiled as he rubbed his hands all over the other's back, pulling them tight together as his heart bubbled with joy.

"I love you, Ronald Knox," he murmured and continued to nuzzle Ron's hair.

"…love you more…" came the blond's reply as he studied the ring on his finger before tilting his head to gaze up at William, "I really do."

Will merely smiled and pulled Ron into another sweet kiss.

* * *

 

The next morning, William refused to let either of them go into work until Ron agreed to an early check up from Dr. Knapp. He still didn't trust what had happened and he would feel much better if they at least had the go ahead from the doctor before starting the day. Upon arriving at the hospital, Will was surprised by the sight of Eric asleep on one of the benches in the lobby. Taking Ron's hand, he approached carefully and gently shook the man's shoulder.

"What-? Huh?" Eric snorted as he sat up. "Will?" he asked, squinting.

"Yes. Eric what are you doing here? Did something happen?"

Eric blinked groggily and shook his head to help clear it.

"Yes and no," he said standing up to stretch. "Al is going through an intense procedure right now an' I just couldn't go home thinkin' about it so much..."

"Procedure? Neither of you ever mentioned such a thing…is it for his….you know….how long have you been waiting out here?" Ronald frowned.

"Long enough to where he could have asked if he could borrow a spare bed last night instead of passing out in the lobby." A warn out looking Doctor said, entering the waiting room, looking like he just got out of a rather long and delicate operation.

"Yeah..." Eric said softly to Ron's questions. "We found out there might be a cure for—Doc!" Eric looked to the doctor as he approached, suddenly keyed up at his arrival, his tiredness and laid back attitude disappearing instantly, "What's the word, doc?"

The doctor held up his hand, "Though we ran into some very difficult complications. The procedure was, according to our scans, a complete success. But I'm afraid Mister Humphries is in need of serious rest and we can only let you in to see him if you promise not to disturb him.

"They're gone? The Thorns are gone?!" Eric asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, of course we insist upon keeping him under observation. Having him return for tests every few months to make sure. This is the first time this has ever been attempted after all."

"Woah, wait…what? Al's cured? How?" Ronald asked.

"YES!" Eric shouted with a heart fist pump, then covered his mouth and leaned on the doctor's shoulder. "Sorry, about that, it's just—I can't—" Eric said as he squeezed the doctor in a bear hug. "Thank you!"

He let the doctor go and couldn't stop grinning, "I should probably stay out here for a little bit till I calm my happy arse down. I'd do things to Al that—Yeah. I'm not gonna say," he chuckled. "Thanks again, doc!"

He watched as the doctor hurried away and he turned back to the other two reapers.

"Do we get an explanation?" William asked with a raised eyebrow.

Eric just kept grinning. "So, you know when we were all attacking in that warehouse and Al got a real bad attack? Well, he got himself infected by a Hostile Soul. Funny thing was when we got him back here to the hospital and treated, seems the Hostile Soul set back the Thorns. I don't understand it exactly, but basically the doc there intentionally infected him with another Hostile Soul, controlling it, you know? And it bloody well worked!"

"….so he's turning into a hostile soul now? How is that a good thing? Unless they somehow stopped that…no…they must have… That's great, Eric-senpai. Tell Al I need to take him out for a drink once he's all better. Till then I'm going back to work…" Ronald grinned, using the distraction as a way out of having to be looked over after the previous night's out of body experience.

"Knox! You are not getting out of this that easily," William snapped and grabbed Ron by the collar, then turned to Eric with a nod. "I am very glad for the good news and please give Alan our best. I have to get Ron looked over quickly before he tries to run."

With that, Will dragged Ron off to be examined and Eric paced the lobby to calm himself down. He was too over excited by the prospect of all of Al's suffering finally being cured. It meant so much and he could barely contain himself. When he finally felt in enough control of himself, he found Alan's room and approached the bed quietly to keep to doctor's orders.

"Willllll, I'm fine! A crazy half-demon only tried to eat me!" the blond complained, "You should know from last night that I'm fine!"

"I would rather be safe," William sighed. "Please just bear it for a moment. It can just be a cursory look over by Vivian."

"Viv would be to distracted by the symbol of our engagement…" Ronald pointed out, turning and wrapping his arms around him, "I'm fine. Really."

"If you are trying to distract me, it won't work," Will said looking down at Ron seriously. "You could very well be fine and if you are, you have permission to do what you like with me, but I seriously want the doctor to make sure you are one hundred percent unharmed."

He dragged Ron along with him until he was able to track down Dr. Knapp and squeeze in a quick exam. He explained to the doctor about what had occurred with Amelia the night before and his concerns.

"Sick of this place…" Ronald muttered as he was forced into an examination room and he was both physically and spiritually examined.

"Oh, I don't doubt that, Mister Knox. But unless you stop getting yourself hurt, you'll continue to be seeing us."

"But none of it was my fault!"

"Yes, you have terrible luck with the ladies. Good thing you have Mister Spears to look after you." Knapp said, tapping the gold band on Ronald's finger, "Congratulations."

The Doctor chuckled and finished up the examination, "Well, there seems to be no lasting damage. You are free to go. But work-wise I would suggest paperwork. Your soul has been exposed and it'll take time to settle back in. And until then it could attract more demons in search of a meal. And as you are still under orders not to use your normal scythe I would suggest not putting yourself at risk with too much field work for the next week."

"Thank you, doctor, that is very good news," William sighed with relief. "See? That didn't take long at all and now we can head to work with no worries. Though with the build up of reports lately, and to ensure you do not take anyone else's field work, you will be working in my office."

"Yes, sir." Ronald said, still half pouting.

* * *

 

Ronald followed William up to his office, walking into the room ahead of him and dropping his stack of papers onto the spare chair before hopping onto the desk with a mischievous grin.

Will looked at Ron with a quirked eyebrow, "Just what do you think you're doing, Mr. Knox?" he asked, trying to suppress his own grin and managing to only have the slightest curve to his lips.

"Working." Ronald said simply, pushing a stack of papers closer to the edge of his lover's desk, "What else would I be doing in your office, _Senpai~_?"

Will managed to school his features into a very serious look as his eyebrow rose further, adjusting his glasses.

"And just how does this classify 'working'? Would you care to clarify?" he asked as he took a few steps closer.

"Simple! I'm at work, aren't I? In an office? At a desk…what else could I be doing in such a location?"

"Correction, you are _on_ a desk. My desk, specifically, Mr. Knox, and are thereby hindering my capability to work," he said as he stepped closer still, not stopping till his thighs were brushing against Ron's knees and he was glaring down at the blond. "The obvious solution is for you to get off," he said smoothly, though a hint of a devious smirk made his lips twitch at the innuendo.

"Make me, sir." The blond teased with a wide grin, leaning back further onto the sleek wooden surface, his hand bumping and nearly tipping over a well of ink.

Will reached out to grab the ink before it tipped over which caused him to press up against Ron, bowing him over the desk with hands on either side of his hips, their faces a mere inch apart, "Are you attempting to seduce me, Mr. Knox?" William asked crisply

"Why would I possibly want to seduce my boss, Sir?" Ronald asked in a dull tone, "…is it working?" he added, wrapping his legs around the older reaper's waist.

"This is sexual harassment, Knox," Will said as he fought the urge to roll his hips into Ron's. "You realize this will only result in a reprimand and punishment."

"I told you before, Boss, I'm working. Though I don't seem to be on top of my game today…this is going much slower than normal. Are you really going to punish me for one off-day, sir?" he asked, putting on his best innocent pout as he looked up at the older reaper, barely able to suppress a smirk as he felt his lover's body starting to react.

"No," Will said as he straightened up to shrug out of his jacket and loosen his tie. "I'm going to punish you for being such a cheeky junior."

Will pounced on Ron, pinning his wrists to the desk above his head with one hand as he lewdly rolled their hips together to make sure Ron felt exactly what he was stirring up. He leaned in close to breathe over his lover's lips, but did not yet connect them. His free hand reached up and played with the errant little curl of hair as he smirked deviously.

"Nnngh….S-Senpai…" the blond gasped, his body thrusting itself up into William's, his elbow bumping the stack of papers over the edge of the desk, causing them to flutter to the floor in a disorganized fashion. "Senpai this is improper…"

"Mmmnn, yes, highly improper," Will grinned as he continued to tug on the little lock of hair and keeping his lips just out of reach. "And by making a mess of my office, you are just extending your punishment...kohai," he whispered into the blond's ear.

"Mister Spears!" the blond gasped, a small moan escaping, "You are an affianced man!" he accused as if the older reaper was not his own fiancé. Though he purposely shifted his leg to bump the basket William used as an out box off the corner of the desk.

"Indeed I am," he whispered darkly as he nipped the blond's ear and released the little curl to pull open Ron's belt and trousers. "And he is such a fine, hard-working, handsome, young man. He is the finest in the world in my opinion...And he has a tendency to squeak at the most interesting things..." Will's hand suddenly dove down Ron's pants to roughly grope him and pump his shaft to full hardness.

Ronald was about to protest the accusation of squeaking, when a rather loud squeak-like gasp escaped his lips making it pointless to deny, even to himself, so he bit his lip, giving a throaty moan, his hands, still pinned above his head twitching as he was over-whelmed with the need to tear off the older reaper's clothes. But William was stronger, and finding he couldn't break free, he cracked open an eye, "I-I should report you for this, Senpai…I'm S-sure your s-squeak-toy of a fiancé would have a few things to say about this…"

Will barely managed to suppress a snicker at Ron's squeak and released him for a moment, putting his hands up as if in surrender, "With such a threat, how could I possibly continue?" he said with false worry before stripping off his own tie lightning fast and draping himself atop Ron again to tie his wrists together. "And my fiancé may have a few things to say, but I know how to quiet him down..."

With that, Will finally captured Ron's lips in a vicious kiss while he pulled off the younger reaper's tie. Once the tie was freed, he wrapped it around the bonds already in place about the blond's wrists and tied the trailing ends around a handle of a locked drawer on the other side of the desk.

"Mnnn, now I have my hands free to punish you properly, Knox," he growled against his lover's lips as he rolled his hips to grind his hardness against Ron.

Ronald's face flushed as he struggled against the ties holding him in place, the feeling of vulnerability serving to only turn him on more as he moaned shamelessly into William's mouth, greedily kissing back as he rolled his hips, begging with both body and muffled whimpers for more.

"I think a suitable punishment for seducing your senior would be to leave you here to suffer with your impropriety... exposed and unsatisfied..." he said darkly as he tugged on Ron's lower lip as he stood back up and gazed down at the blond's disheveled state with a look of disapproval. The he suddenly gripped Ron's hips and rolled him over onto his belly, automatically bending him over the desk as Will pressed his hardness against his lover's still clothed cleft.

"But seeing as you have successfully distracted said senior and have therefore decreased working efficiency, you should be the one to alleviate the state of arousal you have caused to achieve efficiency once more," he said with a lewd grind as he lay himself heavily over Ron's back, "Yes, that is a suitable punishment," he growled into the blond's ear as he reached between them to shove Ron's pants down further to expose his rear.

The younger reaper gasped as cool air touched his previously covered skin; making him shift uncomfortably, his hips rubbing against the edge of the desk. He turned his head, looking over his shoulder up at William, a whimper making itself known; but the hint of a playful smirk visible on his lips, "S-senpai…don't…it's embarrassing…"

"Don't what, Knox?" Will growled softly as he continued to grope over Ron's exposed skin. "Don't do this?" he asked, his other hand moving to undo his belt and unzip his own pants. Once freed, he slid his exposed member along Ron's cleft as his hand moved to grip his lover's shaft, "Or perhaps this?" he growled softly as he moved aside to give a light spank to Ron's exposed rear.

"Ah~hha!" Ronald gasped erotically, flinching from the strike. A light flush graced his cheeks as he pulled at his restraints, biting down on his lip as he found himself too embarrassed to ask—no, beg—for more… He shifted his rear out as far as he could, wordlessly asking to be struck again.

His eyebrow raised in genuine interest at Ron's reaction and he had to stop himself from chuckling darkly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Knox, but you never answered me," he said crisply as he delivered a slightly harder smack to the opposite cheek, hard enough to turn the skin pink. "You'll have to speak more clearly," he said as he gave another firm slap, highly enjoying the sight of the lovely shade of rose blooming over his lover's glorious ass. He tightened his grip on Ron's shaft and gave him a long hard stroke followed by another solid spank to his rear. Will grinned to himself as he stated a diabolical rhythm of pumping and spanking, reveling in the soft noises of pleasure it drew out from Ron. He'd never dreamed the younger reaper would be into such a thing, but it turned William on as well...a lot.

Ronald's blush darkened with each slap, his gasps slowly growing louder; "S-Sorr—Ah! Sir…Wh-what was…the—nhhah—thequestion?" he managed to gasp out, his legs trembling as he seriously considered shamelessly begging for his boss to take him.

Will leaned over Ron's back once more to purr into his ear as he pressed his erection against Ron's cleft, shuddering slightly from the heat radiating off his skin now.

"You said 'Don't' before, Mr. Knox, yet never clarified what it was you did not wish me to do," he said as he nipped the blond's ear and pulled back just enough to deliver another smack. "Don't...stop?" he suggested as he gave a particularly tight squeeze to his young lover's twitching member.

"Ah~! Y-yes! D-don't stop, Senpai!" he gasped a little more loudly than he had meant to. His bindings pulled so tight he could no longer press himself back more against his fiancé, "Please…please punish me more, Sir."

William couldn't stop himself from chuckling this time as he slid his hand up Ron's side to his shoulder and neck, over his cheek, then forced two fingers into the blond's mouth as he continued to grind against him and stroke his shaft. He thrust his fingers lewdly against Ron's tongue and finally withdrew them when they were sufficiently coated with saliva. He wasted no time and released Ron's cock to give him another spank as his slick fingers pressed against his entrance and into him a little roughly. Ron asked to be punished, after all, and he couldn't be _entirely_ gentle.

"AHHH! S-Senpai! Ronald half-protested at the rough treatment of his entrance, but the pain it caused him reminded him of their first time; even though that had been much more gentle. Already breathing hard, the blond spread his legs, hooking his feet around the legs of the desk to help keep him spread.

The older reaper pumped his fingers in and out of the younger man rhythmically with an occasional spank until it seemed his flesh was getting a little too red. It wouldn't do to make him hurt, and once Will was sure he was stretched enough, he pulled out his fingers and lined up the head of his shaft to his lover's entrance and gently pressed in. He moved slightly faster than he would have normally, sinking in to the hilt rather quickly. But he paused to allow Ron to adjust. Once he felt the tightness abate, he drew back slowly, then suddenly gripped the blond's hips tightly and rammed himself back in with a shuddering growl, "Mnnn, Knox..." he purred as he withdrew and slammed back in again.

Ronald cried out, his hands balling into fists as his body was rocked into the desk beneath him, his hips rubbing over the edge almost painfully. "Nnngh…W-William-senpai…y-you can't…ah…bl-blame me for the—mmmnh—mess this'll…cause…" he moaned out, suddenly remembering that they were in fact in the office, and he hoped that one; William had locked the door, and two; he wasn't being so loud that the reapers in the hallway could hear him. But at the same time he did not want the man to stop his thrusts to check the door, so he stayed silent.

Not pausing in his rhythm, Will reached over and grabbed his jacket off the chair and stuffed it between Ron's body and the desk to cushion his hips so they would not slam into the wood as harshly...and to catch any potential mess. He had a spare suit jacket, anyway.

"Problem solved, Mr. Knox," he said as he picked up the pace, hissing and groaning softly as he felt his gut tightening and heat building in his lower belly. He leaned in and kissed over the back of Ron's neck as his thrusts grew more erratic, "Nnngh...AH!" he cried out as he shot his load into Ron, shuddering and twitching over the other's back as he continued to try and thrust to bring the blond to his own climax.

William's thrusting caused the desk to move slightly across the floor, the sound of wood scraping wood joining Ronald's gasps and cries until he reached his own climax, crying out loudly and shamelessly as he soiled William's jacket, his body twitching a few times before he fell limply onto the desk, panting as he glanced out the corner of his eyes at his lover.

"L-lesson learned, Senpai…bu-but I may….misbehave again if…that's my punishment…" he blushed.

The taller reaper leaned over the body of his lover to carefully untie the knots and release his wrists, pressing loving kisses over the back of his neck. He laughed softly at Ron's breathy comment .

"All things in moderation, Mr. Knox," he said softly as he pulled out and gave him a final light spank. He reached into his vest pocket and produced a handkerchief to clean off Ron then himself before he rolled his fiancé over once again, cup his face, and give him a sweet kiss.

"Mmm…if you say so, Boss…" Ronald muttered into the kiss, wrapping his arms around his neck.

The door swung open, "Will~I—Oh Persephone's tears! Lock the door next time! No wonder people were looking horrified at your office door!" Grell gasped, but stepped into the room anyway, closing the door behind him; obviously unaffected by the two lover's state of undress. He giggled as Ronald scrambled to cover himself, "Oh don't do that. You are quite the sight, Ronnie~ But compared to my Unnie…Will can keep you. Here, I have the reports from yesterday's little incident. Unnie contacted dispatch to have someone investigate the area after the four of us left, this should finish up the hostile soul investigation~ Thought you'd want it." He giggled again, wiggling his hips and setting the file on the desk next to Ronald, pausing to pinch William's bared ass, "Oh Will~ I never expected you to do something so scandalous with Ronnie in the office~ Have fun you two." He teased, skipping back over to the door.

When Grell sauntered into the room so shamelessly, Will was at a loss for words. He wordlessly watched him and understood what he was saying, but the heat coming off his face told him he was blushing insanely. Will jumped slightly when Grell pinched him and he scrambled to pull his trousers back into place as if he'd been forced out his state of shock, "W-well," he said, though his voice cracked slightly. "Thank you, Grell."

When the redhead left, he could hear catcalls coming from the hall and Will dropped his head against Ron's chest as he laughed.

"Seems we weren't as quiet as we should have been...Note to self, lock the door before defiling your junior in your office..."

Ronald chuckled, pulling his own pants up, "Maybe a gag would help too…" he blushed as he did his belt up and tucked his shirt in. he reached out and grabbed one of the ties, hooking it around the back of William's neck, pulling him into a kiss before pulling back and hopping off the desk, walking over to the door and cracking it open to peak out. "I don't think I want to leave for a while…"

Will didn't bother re-knotting his tie as he snuck up behind Ron and wrapped arms around his waist to pull him back into the office.

"Then perhaps it's time for round two," he chuckled softly into his fiancé's ear.

"I wouldn't mind that." Ronald grinned, locking their lips together.

* * *

 - **END** -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thankyou for reading, we hope you enjoyed it!


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